Fate - Grimm Destinies REBOOT
by NoXIV
Summary: Join the Pendragon sisters as they enroll into Beacon Academy in order to become the best Huntresses of their generation all the while dealing with their own troubled past. Meanwhile, in the background, dark storms are brewing as Cinder has gained new allies in her service to Salem (cover image belongs to K-Suwabe from Twitter).
1. Chapter 1

"Hey, isn't that girl-"

"Arthuria Pendragon? Two-time Mistral Regional Tournament champion? Heiress to the Pendragon conglomerate?" came the not-so-hushed whispers of the people around her "Oh yeah, that's her. The only reason she didn't make it a perfect four wins in a row was because of Pyrrha Nikos"

"And that same Pyrrha Nikos is also joining Beacon this year" came another voice "Man, all these monsters being in the same year as I am is making me have second thoughts on Beacon"

Arthuria could only let out a breath of air as the people around her chattered endlessly. Not the first time that day the girl experienced being the centre of attention. It was not a pleasant feeling, to say the least.

Her left hand shook as she heard the words of the students all around her. Gripping it with her right hand, Arthuria thought back to what her father had told her a long time ago.

" _You must be the perfect Heiress, Arthuria. You must never show weakness. Nothing less than perfection is expected of a Pendragon"_

The girl's breathing became a bit faster as her father's words echoed in her mind. Getting up from her seat, the blonde made her way towards the aircraft's windows to get a better view of the academy she'll be spending the next four years in while sidestepping a screaming blonde with puke on her shoes along the way.

"Beacon Academy, huh?" Arthuria whispered to herself, awe in her eyes as the school came into view. Before long, the Bullhead landed. As the aircraft's exit opened, Arthuria chose to stay behind, choosing to let the other students go first.

"Well, no point in delaying the inevitable" Arthuria muttered, as she stepped foot on Beacon grounds, Excalibur firmly sheathed and strapped to her side.

" _Beacon truly is a sight to behold"_ the girl thought to herself, as she took in the scene in front of her. Unfortunately for her, that moment lasted just a few seconds before the sound of an explosion caught her attention. Whirling around to face the source of said explosion, Arthuria saw that a girl in a red hood was being reprimanded by a soot covered Weiss.

"Oh, Weiss.. As strict as ever, I see… Wait, Weiss?!" Arthuria said aloud, rubbing her eyes a few times to make sure she wasn't hallucinating her childhood friend standing a few feet from her in Beacon's courtyard.

Before the young blonde could make her way towards her old friend, however, a voice suddenly cut off her train of thought.

"Well, well, well.. Look who it is. Arthuria Pendragon herself" came the irritating voice of one Cu Chulainn.

Sure enough, when Arthuria turned to face the owner of said voice, there he was, with his blue hair tied into a ponytail and dressed in his usual outfit, a short-sleeved blue shirt, blue and black pants, black gloves as well as steel pauldrons covering both of his shoulders. In addition to his left arm being covered in a gauntlet, his feet had armor on, as well.

"Fancy meeting you here, Pendragon" the boy said, with his red spear, Gae Bolg, in his right hand "Last I saw you, you were getting your ass handed to you by Nikos in the tournament finals"

"Funny, I could say the same to you, Chulainn. Only difference is, I made it to the finals while you did not" Arthuria shot back with a smirk of her own, earning a small growl from the boy.

"Bah.. Nikos got lucky during our last match and she knows it. Next time, it'll be a different story" the teen exclaimed "Speaking of, have you seen her around? Word is that she'll be attending Beacon so I thought I should send her a greeting, if you catch my drift"

"Unfortunately not. Since we're on the subject of old acquaintances, how is Miss Scathach doing?"

"Hmph.. Still an old hag, if memory serves"

"Careful now. Last time she heard you call her that, she beat you half to death" Arthuria replied, a chuckle escaping her lips. Turning around, Arthuria saw that Weiss had gone on ahead. The blonde cursed inwardly before turning her attention back to the blue haired teen "Well Chulainn, I would say this was a pleasant reunion but we both know I'd be lying. The headmaster's speech will be starting soon and we're already late as it is"

"You go on ahead.. I feel like doing some exploring for a bit" the boy replied, as the two teens went their separate ways.

 **[Later, Beacon Auditorium]**

Arthuria never thought she'd ever been in a room full of so many Hunter Trainees but now, here she was. Everywhere she looked, students - or rather, potential students - were wearing different outfits with their weapons strapped to their person, each different than the last.

The blonde's thoughts were interrupted by someone bumping into her back, startling the girl.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going" the boy said, as he bowed his head repeatedly.

"No, no.. I'm the one at fault" Arthuria replied, as she observed the apologetic boy in front of her. His hair was the same shade as hers, albeit a little messy, while sporting a diamond-shaped chestplate with white spaulders with rebraces set under them. Underneath the boy's armor was what seemed like a black short-sleeved hoodie. The boy was also sporting blue pants along with a pair of black shoes. Strapped to his side was what appeared to be a simple sheathed longsword with a blue hilt and a golden cross-guard.

"Still, I'm very sorry" the boy said once more, before putting his hand out "I'm Jaune, by the way. Jaune Arc. Short. Sweet. Rolls of the tongue, ladies love it"

Arthuria replied by arching her eyebrow before taking the boy's hand "I'm Arthuria Pendragon and, do ladies really love it?"

"Well… No, not really" Jaune replied, as he scratched the back of his head with a small chuckle "But it's the confidence that counts, don't you think? That's what my aunt always told me, anyway"

Any further chatter in the building was cut off by the appearance of Beacon's Headmaster on the stage in front of them. Approaching the microphone in front of him, he tapped it twice.

"Ahem. I'll… keep this brief" the man said, pausing for a bit to look at the students around him, before continuing "Do you know what I see when I look at each of you right now? Talent. Ingenuity. Passion. But I know that most of you here, like your seniors before you, won't bother to put in enough effort to polish them to their greatest potential. Fail to put in any noticeable effort, then you'll have failed as Huntsmen"

"We here at Beacon only serve to show you where you _need_ to go and to teach you the skills needed to reach that place. And so, as the Headmaster, I welcome you all to Beacon Academy"" the Headmaster said, as he gazed out at the students before him one last time before ending his speech. No applause came, only whispers and murmurs between the students as they stared at the retreating form of the Headmaster.

"The Headmaster of Beacon Academy, ladies and gentlemen" Jaune said, snapping Arthuria out of her trance "Truly an inspiration to us all"

"Hmm.. You sound like you've met him before" Arthuria noted.

"A couple of times, yeah. I was just accompanying my aunt, that's all" Jaune responded.

"What do you think of the man?" Arthuria asked but before she could get a response, a blonde haired woman appeared on stage.

"Now, as all of you here may or may not know, I am Professor Glynda Goodwitch, the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon Academy" the woman stated, as her eyes scanned the crowd before her "All of you will be sleeping in here for the night. There will be an initiation tomorrow and you would do well to get a good night's sleep since that will be what determines your entry into Beacon, after all. That is all. Dismissed."

 **[Later that night]**

"Heh.. Cute onesie, Jaune" Arthuria said, amused at the blue full-body pyjamas her new friend had chosen for the night.

"Why thank you, Arthuria. I must admit, they are _very_ comfortable. Your outfit isn't so terrible a choice, either" Jaune replied, either not picking up on the sarcasm or choosing to ignore it altogether.

"Hmm… You don't suppose this is what people mean by slumber parties, do you?" Arthuria wondered aloud as the two blondes entered the ballroom.

"Hard to say. Never actually been to one of those things myself" Jaune replied, as the two of them tiptoed around the bodies of students to reach their sleeping area.

"You know, I've heard that the common things to do in things like these are-" Arthuria stopped mid-sentence when she impacted someone in front of her.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A voice whirled on the blonde "Look with your eyes and not your nose, you… dolt…"

"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was… going…" It was at that point when Arthuria had a good look at just who it was she bumped into "Weiss?"

"A-Arthuria?" Weiss asked in barely a whisper "Is it-"

"Weiss!" Arthuria shouted, attracting the attention of some of the nearby students, as she enveloped the white haired Heiress in a hug "It's been so long"

"Y-yeah.. Too long" Weiss replied, as she returned the blonde's hug as the two girls stayed in that position for a few seconds longer.

"Hey Ruby" Jaune said, noticing the girl standing to the side as she stared at the two girls hugging.

"Oh.. Hey, Jaune" Ruby replied with a wave "Friend of yours?"

"You could say that" the blonde answered, "I would introduce the two of you but you can see how that'll be hard at the moment"

"Yeah. Nice onesie, by the way" Ruby said, snickering just as Arthuria and Weiss let go of each other.

"And comfortable, to boot" Jaune replied, a proud smile on his face before turning his attention to Arthuria "So, I take it you two are old friends?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry about that. It's been a while since we saw each other" the girl replied.

"A while? Try-"

"Well, well, well... Isn't this a grand reunion between two stuck up, arrogant Heiresses?!" a loud voice suddenly said, catching the whole ballroom's attention.

"You?!" Weiss and Arthuria both said in unison with expressions of shock and eyes wide as they stared at the girl in front of them.

"Me!" the girl replied, a smirk on her face.

 **[/]**

When Weiss woke up that morning, there were a couple of things that happened today she would not have ever expected. At the top of that list was, of course, being reunited with her old friend, Arthuria Pendragon. A close second would be the fact that she was caught in an explosion of Dust in the middle of Beacon's courtyard.

But now, with _her_ standing in front of the white haired Heiress, those two events just got knocked down a spot. Mordred Pendragon, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans short and a plain white tee.

"Mordred?! What are you doing here?!"Weiss asked, shock in her voice as she glared at the girl in front of her.

"I remembered you being smarter" Mordred replied, staring at the Schnee Heiress with a raised eyebrow before turning her attention towards Arthuria as her smirk was replaced with a deep scowl "Hello, dear _sister_. How nice to see you again after so long"

"…" No words came out of Arthuria. All the girl could do was stare at the girl before looking away, a frustrated look on her face.

"Nothing to say? Well, whatever. Anything I have to say to you is reserved for tomorrow, anyway" Mordred spat, as she pushed past the group to reach her sleeping bag "All I wanted to do was say hello, seeing as it's been a long time since we've seen each other, after all"

"What's her deal?!" Yang asked, her eyes flickering between red and lilac.

"It's… a long story" Arthuria answered, before noticing that most of the people in the ballroom were staring at their little gathering "We should get some rest. It'll be a long day tomorrow"

 **[The Next Morning]**

"Ughhh…" Fran, like most days, woke up feeling cranky. Of course, unlike the previous times, this time she woke up in a room full of other people. People who, like her, were getting ready for the Initiation later in the day. After she finished showering, the pink haired girl then proceeded to put on her combat outfit, which consisted of a simple white dress, silver heels, and a pair of gold headphones.

"Alright. Looks like I'm ready for the day ahead" Fran said to her own reflection in the mirror, a pleased expression on her face. No sooner than she said that, however, her stomach began to growl. Taking her weapon – Blasted Lightning – out of her locker, the girl left the changing room and went straight for Beacon's cafeteria "Guess not. I suppose a little breakfast wouldn't hurt"

Being so unused to such large crowds, Frankenstein was a little startled when she saw the large population of students when she reached the cafeteria. Feeling her nervousness beginning to creep up, the girl steeled herself and finally decided to help herself to a small plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

"Ren, look! Both her weapon and hair looks just like mine!" A voice suddenly said to her side "Do you think we're long lost sisters or something? Oh, just think what a great story that would make. Two sisters, separated at birth and finally reunited at a school to kill monsters. Think of the money we could make selling a book like that"

Her interest piqued, Fran looked up from her breakfast to see an orange haired girl pointing at her while chattering excitedly into the ear of a black haired boy. Noticing Fran staring at her, the girl stopped whatever it was she was saying mid-sentence to wave at her with a giant of a smile on her face.

Fran, caught off guard by the bubbly girl, could only wave back with a tilt of her head as she swallowed her breakfast.

"Come on, Nora. Let's get ready for Initiation" the boy said, as he got up from his seat.

"Roger that, Ren" the girl – Nora was her name, apparently – replied as she skipped alongside the boy.

" _Such colorful people_ " Fran thought, as she continued working on the food in front of her.

 **[Beacon Locker Room]**

"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought on who you'll want as teammates yet?" Weiss asked, an eager look in her eyes as she inspected Myrtenaster.

"Oh, well… I suppose I'll just go with the flow… I guess" the redhead answered, as she took out her weapons before strapping them to her person.

"You know, I hear that teams are usually made up of two pairs of partners" Weiss added "So, I was thinking maybe the three of us could be on the same team together. What do you think?"

"That sounds- Wait, three of us? Who's the other person?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh, of course. I forgot. I'm sure I don't need to introduce her to you. After all, the two of you have faced each other before" Weiss replied.

"We have and, if memory serves, I won our last battle. Isn't that right?" Arthuria said, appearing from behind Weiss from seemingly out of nowhere as she reached her locker "Hello, Pyrrha"

"Hello, Arthuria" the redhead replied with a warm smile. Coincidentally, the two rivals had their lockers right next to each other.

"It seems the rumor of you attending Beacon had some merit in them, after all" Arthuria said, as she fished her weapon, Excalibur, and it's sheathe, Avalon, out of her locker.

"I didn't think you were the type of person to listen to rumors, Arthuria" Pyrrha replied "Maybe Beacon will be the place where we settle things between us once and for all"

"Yes. Maybe it will be" Arthuria said, as she strapped her weapon to her side.

"Are you two done flirting? Because I'm certainly bored of watching it" the voice of one Cu Chulainn suddenly said from behind the blonde Heiress. Dressed in his combat outfit and with his spear gripped in his hands, he looked ready for the day ahead as anyone.

Arthuria could only sigh before replying to the boy, "Good morning to you, too, Chulainn"

"Hello, again" Pyrrha said in greeting, waving to the boy only to receive a scowl in return.

"Nikos" the boy growled in reply "Your cheerful demeanor is as annoying as ever"

" _Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation?"_ came the voice of Professor Goodwitch over the school's intercom.

"Well, time to get the show started and prove why Cu Chulainn is on top" the boy exclaimed aloud as he left the locker room.

"I really hope I don't end up on the same team as him" Arthuria muttered with a sigh.

"You and me both" Weiss said, nodding in agreement.

 **[Beacon Cliffs]**

"Yang, Yang! Look! That person's got such a cool armor!" Ruby squealed in excitement as she pointed at a figure standing on in front of Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch. True to her words, the figure was covered in red and silver armor from head to toe with even the sword having a red and silver theme to it. The armor even had two horns sticking out of its helmet "And look at that sword. It's. So. Cool!"

"Alright, alright. Calm down, little sis" Yang replied, holding the girl back by pulling on her hoodie "Who knows? You might even be on the same team as that dude"

"Y-you think so? B-but I don't even know him. Or her. It could be a girl inside, for all we know. Plus, how are teams going to be formed? Do I have to ask them? Does Professor Ozpin pick them out? So many questions, Yang, but so little answers!" the only answer the young girl received was stifled laughter from her sister "Why are you laughing? This isn't funny!"

"Relax, Ruby. I'm sure everything will be explained to us in a few moments" the brawler replied, as the two sisters reached their respective spots "Look, there's Jaune. And also your new best friend, the Ice Queen"

"Not funny, Yang" Ruby replied, frowning at the thought "I really hope we won't be on the same team together"

"Let's see…" Yang wondered aloud, as she looked all around her " _Including me and Ruby, there's sixteen students today. Wonder where the rest of the first years are?"_

"Alright then, it seems all of you are here" Professor Ozpin spoke suddenly "Shall we begin this year's Initiation?"

 **[Emerald Forest]**

"Crazy old man. The Hell kind of Initiation is this, anyway?" Mordred complained to herself as she was soaring through the air, her sword gripped tightly in her right hand. Shrugging to herself, the young girl readied her Aura as she crashed her way to the ground through a number of trees in her path before finally stabbing her sword into a giant tree, halting her rapid descent.

"Alright. Let's get this show on the road" the girl thought aloud as she pulled her weapon free before landing on the ground with a thud. Mecha-shifting her helmet away, Mordred proceeded to cut down the multitude of flora in front of her. It wasn't long, however, until she made contact with another prospective student.

"Hm?" Mordred hummed as she stared at the girl in front of her with a raised eyebrow.

"Huh?" the girl said, looking behind her. Gasping in surprise at the sight of Mordred, the girl sent a wave in greeting "Oh, hello there. I'm Ruby. Ruby Rose. Guess that makes us-"

"Nope" Mordred quickly replied, turning around and walking in the opposite direction.

"Wait, wait, wait" Ruby shouted as she appeared in front of Mordred in the blink of an eye "Where are you going? We're supposed to be partners! That's the rule!"

"Rules are meant to be broken, little girl" Mordred replied as she shoved Ruby out of her way before cutting down another bush in front of her "Besides, I'm pretty sure I can find a better-"

"Hm?" Whatever Mordred had to say was instantly forgotten by the sudden appearance of Weiss as both girls immediately started glaring at each other "You! Mordred! I don't care what the Headmaster says, I am not going to be your partner!"

"That's fine, Ice Queen, since I already have a partner!" Mordred replied, as she pointed at Ruby "Isn't that right, Rachel?!"

"Yeah! That's right" the girl replied as she stood beside the blonde with her arms crossed "Also, it's Ruby"

"That's what I said. Now, come on. Meeting the Ice Queen this early in the day can't be good luck" Mordred said.

" _So, this is my partner, huh?"_ Ruby thought to herself as she trailed behind the armored blonde " _Her armor's so cool! And her sword! Gah! I just want to get my hands on it! I wonder what else it can do? Should I ask her? Would that be too much? Ahhh! What would Yang say at a time like this? Damn it, brain! Why can't you be social?!"_

"Soo… I like your armor" Ruby finally said, after what must have been a few minutes of silent trekking through the jungle. When no reply came, Ruby tried again "It's really cool. Did you make it yourself?"

"Not really. A friend helped me with some of the parts" Mordred replied, as she led the way for the two of them. Elated at getting a reply from her partner, Ruby continued.

"And your sword! It's so-"

"Quiet!" Mordred hissed, crouched low and peering through a bush with a serious look on her face.

"What is it?" Ruby asked in a low whisper, joining the blonde on the ground.

"Hmm… Ah, nevermind" Mordred replied in a calm and relaxed tone "It's just three Ursa. Not even a Major among them"

"You sound almost disappointed" Ruby pointed out, as she readied her weapon.

"Well, duh. I mean, three Ursa? I could take them in my sleep" Mordred complained, her own weapon at the ready. Before Ruby could reply, the blonde got up and prepared herself for the battle ahead "Alright. Plain and simple. It's kind of a pain for me to take on all three so, I'll take the two on the right, you go for the one of the left. Sound good?"

"Um-"

"Excellent" Mordred said, not even waiting for answer "Well, what are you waiting for? An invitation?!"

With that being her battle cry, Mordred charged into the clearing and, with her sword clad in red Aura, brought it down on the nearest Ursa with a mighty crash, catching it off guard and killing it instantly.

"And that's one!" Mordred shouted, a small grin on her face as the second Ursa finally caught on to what was happening and immediately attacked Mordred with its claws only for the girl to block them with her sword.

"That's it? This is lame…" Mordred said to the Grimm in front of her with a sigh, not that it could understand her. A moment later, the landed an armored kick on the Grimm's stomach, pushing it back a few feet in the process. Before the Grimm could recover its bearings, however, a red and silver sword came flying at it from out of nowhere, impaling the Ursa through the head and into the tree behind it "Well, that's that. Hey, you done yet?"

"Yup" Ruby answered, a bright smile on her face as she walked up to her partner.

"Huh… You're pretty good at this, aren't you?" Mordred noted.

"Heh heh… Thanks" Ruby replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head "You're pretty awesome, too! Although, that thing where you throw sword is a bit reckless"

"Hah? What's reckless about it? I got the job done, didn't I?" Mordred countered, as the two continued their trek through the forest "A win's a win. 'Doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get there', is what I always say"

"Well… I guess…" Ruby replied, less than satisfied with what Mordred just said but deciding to let it go for now "Anyway, are you sure we're going the right way?"

Mordred answered with a shrug, "Only one way to find out, right?"

 **[/]**

"It's this way. I'm sure of it" the girl said, before stopping dead in her tracks as she stared at the trees in front of her, hesitation in her eyes, before turning around "No, wait. That's my mistake. It's this way"

Blake sighed for what felt like the tenth time that day as her eyes followed the pacing form of her partner.

" _Is this what they call Fate? Is this all Fate's doing?"_ Blake wondered to herself as she lost herself to her thoughts " _Is this finally Fate's way of paying me back for how I treated my family? Or is this payback for how I turned my back on the White Fang?_ _It has to be, right? I mean, among all the students who are trying to get into Beacon, what were the chances of me partnering up with_ Weiss Schnee?! _If Adam could see me now"_

"-ake? Blake!" the white haired Heiress shouted, trying to get her attention, startling her "Were you listening?"

"Not really" the Faunus-in-hiding replied, a hint of annoyance escaping her lips.

"Ugh. I said, that's the way we should go" Weiss replied, pointing to a random direction.

Blake gave the girl a deadpan stare before she spoke, "Why can't you just admit it already? It would be so much easier and less time consuming if you did"

"A-admit what?" Weiss asked, stuttering.

"That we're lost. We have been for at least half an hour now"

"We aren't lost" Weiss countered. Who she was trying to convince, Blake didn't know "We just… missed the path, that's all"

"There is no path" Blake replied.

"J-just follow me and we'll reach these relics the Headmaster mentioned in no time" Weiss said, not waiting for a reply as she entered the forest once more.

" _Maybe I should have just stayed on that train. It certainly can't be any worse than being her… partner_ " Blake shuddered at the last thought, as she pushed off of the tree and trailed after her the Heiress.

 **[/]**

Jaune breathed a sigh of relief as the decapitated black mass of negativity in front of him started to disintegrate, signaling its death.

"You're pretty good with the sword, Jaune" Arthuria, his partner for the next four years in Beacon, said from behind him after finishing up her own fight.

"Heh... Thanks" the boy replied, sheathing his sword as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head "Not as good as you, though. I'm pretty sure you took out twice the amount I did, maybe more"

"I just had a lot of training that's all" the girl replied, sheathing her own sword as the duo continued their trek through the jungle "As I'm sure you did, too"

"You could say that. All I did was tag along with my aunt in travelling the world, helping whoever and wherever we can" Jaune replied with a shrug.

"You've been around the world?" Arthuria asked, amazed at the sudden information "What's that like?"

"Exciting, fulfilling, tiring. Those are just some ways to describe it" Jaune answered, pausing for a moment before continuing "I've met a lot of people during my travels, that's for sure. Heck, I've met the Headmasters of all four academies, actually"

"Your life certainly sounds much more exciting than mine" Arthuria replied with a hum.

"Yeah? What was your life like before Beacon?"

"Well, the short of it is that I rarely left my home in Mistral. Everything I know came from personal trainers or tutors. My father wanted nobody but the best to teach me" Arthuria answered.

"Sounds lonely" Jaune said.

"It can be… at times. Until one day, when I found out about the tournaments in Mistral. Honestly speaking, I practically begged my father to allow me to participate" Arthuria replied with a small smile as she seemed to recall a distant memory "That was where I met Pyrrha and Chulainn. That was also where he became friends. Although, for Chulainn, I use that term loosely"

"It sounds like you've had an exciting life yourself" Jaune stated.

"Yeah. That's one way to put it" Arthuria said, as the two teens reached a cave.

"Okay. If the cave paintings don't make it obvious enough, I'm pretty sure this isn't the way to the relics" Jaune said.

"I agree. Let's go around the mountain" Arthuria replied with a chuckle as the two blondes continued on with their Initiation.

 **[/]**

"Well, this was easy" Cu Chulainn stated as he picked up a white chess piece "You think this is the Relic the old man was talking about?"

"Most likely" his partner replied as she looked at the remaining pieces.

"This Initiation was pretty boring, huh?" the boy wondered aloud "What do you think?"

"That's certainly one way to put it"

"Hey, you know what would be fun? If we took everything for ourselves" the boy suggested, eyeing the other chess pieces.

"Chulainn, no. We are _not_ doing that"

"Boo. As boring as ever, Nikos" the boy replied, giving his partner a thumbs down gesture.

"Let's just finish out Initiation, shall we?" Pyrrha replied, a sigh escaping her lips.

 **[Beacon Cliffs, Evening]**

"Any sign of them, Glynda?" Ozpin asked, a mug of coffee in his right hand as he stared at the Emerald Forest in front of him.

"I'm afraid not, Professor" the Deputy Headmistress replied as she looked at her watch once more "Which ultimately means Miss Schnee and Miss Belladona have failed their Initiation"

"That is… disappointing" the Headmaster replied with a sigh before taking a sip of coffee "I'll send Bartholomew and Peter to search for them-"

"Wait for us!" A voice shouted from nearby, cutting Ozpin off. Looking over the edge, he was greeted by the sight of both Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladona desperately scaling the cliff, weary expressions on both girls.

"Wait… wait… for… us…" Blake said in between gasps of air as she plopped down onto the ground in front of the two Professors.

"Did we… we make it?" Weiss asked, faring a little better than her partner seeing as she isn't currently collapsed on the ground.

"Did you manage to retrieve the Relic?" Ozpin quickly asked, cutting off whatever it was Glynda was about to say. Weiss could only respond by handing over a black knight piece to the Headmaster.

"Excellent. You both pass" Ozpin replied, earning an eye roll from Glynda "Now then, if you two could so kindly make your way to the auditorium, we can officially induct you into Beacon"

"W-what? We're not… going to our dorms?" Blake asked, as she shakily picked herself up from the ground.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Belladona" Ozpin replied, a hint of an amused smile on appearing on his face before disappearing a moment later.

"Come now, ladies. The sooner we get started, the sooner you can rest" Glynda stated, as the two girls trailed after the two professors with a groan.

 **[Beacon Auditorium]**

"Where did you even get that sandwich?" Ruby asked her partner, as she anxiously waited for the teams to be formed.

"Cafeteria, of course. Duh" Mordred answered, looking at Ruby like she'd grown a second head.

"But the cafeteria's… closed" Ruby asked, receiving a look of confusion from the blonde.

"What's your point?" Mordred countered before taking another bite.

"…Nevermind" Ruby said, looking like she was about to press the subject before thinking better of it.

"Oh? Finally made it, Ice Queen?" Mordred asked, eyeing the exhausted form of Weiss entering the auditorium.

"Hi Weiss! Is that your partner? This is my partner, Mordred" Ruby exclaimed, as the white haired girl reached the duo.

"Mordred's your partner?" Weiss asked with a scoff "Good luck"

"Can't possibly be worse than teaming up with you" Mordred countered as she stabbed a finger on Weiss's forehead.

"Get your dirty hands away from me, you brute" Weiss shouted, slapping the girl's hand away as the two girls glared at each other "I would sooner join the White Fang than be on the same team as you. Even if we were on the same team, I would almost certainly be the leader and you would have no choice but to follow my orders"

"Oh, yeah?! We'll just see about that!" Mordred replied as their foreheads pressed against each other.

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona, Mordred Pendragon" Professor Ozpin said from atop the stage. A few seconds of silence passed before the Headmaster tried again "Ahem. Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona, Mordred Pendragon"

"Guys, guys! The Headmaster's calling our names" Ruby said, as she tried to pull her armored partner to the stage. It took a few more seconds before all four girls were assembled before the Professor.

"The four of you retrieved the Black Knight piece. From this day forward, the four of you will work together as Team Ruby (RWBM) led by… Ruby Rose" Professor Ozpin announced, earning shocked looks from Ruby, Mordred, and Weiss. Team RWBM stayed rooted at their spot for a few more seconds before raucous laughter filled the auditorium.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: I DID IT! Holy c**p, I finally finished the first chapter of the reboot. I apologize to everyone who waited so long but now that it's finally out, I hope you enjoy reading it. I have made some notable differences to the Reboot. I hope all of you like it going forward.**

 **As for the chapter itself, I must say that I enjoyed writing it. I hope you guys and girls enjoy reading it. I found writing the Initiation a bit of a pain so I decided to just cram it into one chapter as oppose to two chapters like the original one did.**

 **Let's see, what else? Oh, I also hope you guys enjoy the different teams and partners I've decided on for the story. I wanted to try something different and move away from canon a bit more this time so, here's hoping I do a great job on it.**

 **As always, faves, follows, reviews are always welcome so, feel free to post your thoughts.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	2. Chapter 2

"Mordred… Pendragon? Any relations?" Cu Chulainn asked, a raised eyebrow directed at Arthuria.

"She's my sister, actually" Arthuria replied but was cut off by the laughter coming from the stage in front of them. Laughter that was coming from Mordred, to be precise "Half-sister, I should add"

"Hmmm… I never knew you had a sister" Chulainn added, as he eyed the newly formed Team RWBM.

"It's… sort of a long story" Arthuria replied, a small smile gracing her lips at the antics of Weiss and Mordred on stage.

"Now that you mention it, the two of you do share a striking resemblance" Pyrrha chimed in "I never noticed that before until now"

"I think that's all they have in common, if you ask me" Chulainn added, an amused smile on his face as Mordred was being scolded by the Deputy Headmistress "She seems like a lot more fun than you, Arthuria. Better taste in armor design, too"

"Ahem… Right. Well, let's carry on, shall we?" Professor Ozpin said from atop the stage "Jaune Arc, Arthuria Pendragon, Pyrrha Nikos, Cu Chulainn"

"Oh, that's us. Let's go" Chulainn said, as he marched toward the Headmaster.

"Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, noticing the hesitant look in the blonde's eyes.

"Y-yeah… I'll be fine... Never was any good with stages and all that" the boy replied, before he and Pyrrha joined Arthuria and Chulainn.

"The four of you retrieved the White Knight piece. Therefore, from today onwards, you shall be working together and helping each other grow as Team JAPC (Jasper) led by… Jaune Arc"

"Wait… What?" uttered the newly appointed team leader, confusion filling his eyes as he stared at the Headmaster.

"Congratulations, Jaune" Pyrrha said, her hand on the boy's shoulder "I'm sure you'll be a great leader"

"I'll be countin' on you then, Team Leader" Chulainn added, a smirk on his face.

"…Huh?" was all Jaune could say as he still could not comprehend what just happened.

 **[The next morning]**

"-dred. Mordred" came a familiar-but-not-that-familiar voice in the girl's head.

"…Ugghhh…" the blonde managed to barely groan, her eyes trying desperately to stay open despite the best efforts of the sun's rays through the window trying to blind her to death.

"Mordred" the voice said once more as Mordred finally realized that it wasn't coming from her head, but her newly appointed team leader.

"What do you want…?" Mordred asked, as she turned to the other side of her bed.

"It's-"

"It's half-past eight, you idiot. Get up. Our first class starts in half an hour" came an irritatingly familiar voice Mordred instantly recognized "I will not have my reputation tarnished by being on the same team as someone who's late on the very first day of class"

"… Five more minutes…" Mordred said, before Weiss pulled the girl's blanket away.

"No. That's what you said twenty minutes ago, that's what you said ten minutes ago, and that's what you said _five_ minutes ago" Weiss exclaimed, throwing the blanket in her hand onto the ground "The only reason I haven't stabbed you with Myrtenaster is because Ruby convinced me not to"

"Goddamn, I forgot how much of a bitch you could be when you wanted to" the blonde replied, finally getting up but not without sending a glare at the Schnee heiress.

"You can glare at me all you want. I don't care" Weiss replied with a huff as Mordred turned her attention towards Ruby.

"Red, aren't we partners? You should be on my side, like, all the time. Especially when it's against Ice Queen here" Mordred stated.

"Uh… Well… I mean… Weiss does… have a point, Mordred. Classes start today and we wouldn't want to be late on our first day, right?" Ruby replied.

"And there you have it. Three against one. Now go and take a shower"

"It's not three against one. That goth chick isn't even listening to this conversation" Mordred whined, pointing towards the fourth member of her team, Blake, who was sitting quietly on her bed with her nose deep in her book "In fact, I'm pretty sure she's reading porn right now"

"N-no, it's not!" Blake cried out in defence, shutting the book in an instant.

"Yeah, that's convincing" Mordred scoffed.

"It also doesn't matter. Now get up and get ready so we can finally get to class!" Weiss shouted.

"Goddamn it, fine. Don't bother waiting for me" Mordred replied, grabbing her shower supplies.

"Mordred-" Weiss started before being cut off by the blonde.

"I get it, I get. Don't be late, right? Jeez, Ice Queen, you're starting to sound like a broken record, you know that?" Mordred replied, as she left the team's dorm.

"Gods, now I remember why I hate her so much" Weiss muttered to herself as she tried to rub away the headache that had formed.

"Well, if anything, this has certainly been a lively start for Team RWBM" Ruby said, in a failed attempt to cheer Weiss up as the rest of Team RWBM left for class.

"So Weiss, how do you and Mordred know each other?" Ruby asked after a few seconds of silent walking.

"Through a business relationship between my father and hers. Her sister, Arthuria, and I were childhood friends. Mordred was, and still is, an annoying pest that I just can't seem to get away from" Weiss replied, frowning as memories of her past came back to her.

"Well, at least Arthuria's here, right? I bet you were glad to see her" Ruby added.

"That's true. And I was. The last time I saw her was when we were 12. Before I had the responsibility of inheriting the SDC pushed onto me" Weiss added.

"By the way, do we have any idea what's our first class is going to be?" Blake asked, her nose still deep in her book.

"It's Grimm Studies by Professor Peter Port" Weiss replied.

"Grimm Studies? Sounds exciting!" Ruby exclaimed, as her pace suddenly quickened "I wonder what kind of cool, experienced hunter will be teaching us?"

 **[Ninety Minutes Later]**

"Pstt… Blake, there's still thirty minutes left to class and Mordred _still_ hasn't shown up yet" Ruby told the girl as she eyed the classroom entrance.

"Yes, Ruby. I can see that" her teammate replied.

"Weiss looks like she could pop a vein at any moment now" the team leader remarked, eyeing the white haired Heiress.

"At this rate, she just might" Blake noted with a snicker before the classroom door opened, interrupting the professor's lecture to reveal their _very_ late team member. Their team member who still had messy hair and an unbuttoned uniform despite having an extra hour to get ready for class. Said team member then proceeded nonchalantly join the rest of her team as she took a seat next to Ruby, not even bothering to give an explanation as to her tardiness.

"You! Where were you?! You're an hour late!" Weiss shouted as quietly as possible.

"I got lost…" the blonde replied lazily, as she stared ahead at the Professor.

"Ahem. Right. As this is the first day of classes, I shall excuse your tardiness, young lady. However, be sure not to repeat your mistake. Are we clear?"

"Sure… You got it, Prof" Mordred replied in a bored tone.

"You got lost?! How?! Directions are given to you through your scroll" Weiss pointed out, not willing to let the matter go just yet.

"Ah, it doesn't matter, does it? I'm her now so that's all that matters"

"Of course it matters! You're an hour-"

"Ahem. Miss Schnee, is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?" Professor Port asked.

"N-no, sir. I apologize for disrupting your lesson" Weiss replied, a red tinge on her face.

"Yeah, Weiss. Anything you'd like to share?" Mordred asked, a smug grin on her face as Weiss replied with a snarl and a glare.

"Well, if you're not too busy, how would you like to demonstrate to the rest of the class your abilities in eliminating a Grimm?"

"O-of course, sir. It would be my honor"

"Excellent. Now then, go get ready and we can get started"

 **[/]**

"Go, Weiss! You can do it! Aim for its belly! It's completely defenceless under there!" Ruby shouted in encouragement.

The Heiress gritted her teeth at the girl's encouragement as sweat poured down her brow.

" _What's wrong with me?! This should be a simple matter to me!"_ Weiss thought to herself with a scrunched brow " _No, this is not my fault. It's_ theirs! _They're distracting me with their incessant shouting and chattering!"_

"Not looking too good there, Ice Queen" Mordred remarked, watching the fight with little to no interest "At this point, I might even have to save your ass"

"Ahem. Language please, Miss Pendragon" Professor Port remarked from the side.

Grinding her teeth even harder now, Weiss was barely able to dodge the incoming charge from the Boarbatusk as the Grimm found itself stuck to the classroom's walls from its tusks.

"Now, Weiss! Now's your chance to-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop trying to give me orders!" Weiss shouted before she flipped the Grimm over on its back with the help of her glyphs. The Heiress then leapt up high before using her Glyphs to propel her forward towards the Grimm's unprotected stomach, stabbing the creature and effectively killing it.

"Marvelous! A superb demonstration by Miss Schnee. We are truly in the presence of a fine Huntress, ladies and gentlemen" Professor Port announced before the school bell rang "Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have. I'll see you again next time, students. Don't forget to keep up with your readings"

Weiss immediately left the classroom with a huff, not bothering to wait for the rest of her team.

"Weiss, wait!" Ruby shouted from behind the girl. Not receiving a response, the fifteen year old team leader then proceeded to activate her semblance as she caught up with her teammate in the school's hallway "What's wrong?! Why are you being-"

"What's wrong?! Everything! What did _you_ do to become the team leader?! Nothing, that's what. Ever since I met you, you have done nothing – absolutely _nothing_ – to _earn_ your position as team leader. You were simply handed the position by Ozpin. Just like you were handed a spot here in Beacon. You don't deserve this. Any of this. You're just a child!" Weiss shouted, not noticing the tears welling up in the younger girl's eyes, as she turned around to leave "Professor Ozpin made a mistake"

"Weiss… wait…" Ruby tried but the Heiress was already gone.

"That was a bit too much, Ice Queen. Even from you" Mordred remarked, who had been standing nearby and heard everything.

"Shut up. You're the last person I want lecturing me about any of this" Weiss replied, as she went to cool off somewhere. Mordred simply shook her head at the retreating girl's form before diverting her attention towards the sobbing girl that was her team leader as she sat against the wall.

"Hey there, partner" Mordred said, startling Ruby.

"O-oh… Hey, Mordred" Ruby replied, trying frantically to rub away the tears that had streamed down her face "Didn't see you there"

Mordred stared at the younger girl for a few seconds before delivering a light knock on the girl's head.

"O-ow.. What was that for?" the girl whined, rubbing her head.

"If you wanna cry your heart out, do it. No point in hiding them" Mordred answered as she took a seat next to the young girl.

"Don't worry about Ice Queen. She's always been a bit of a bitch like that" Mordred said after a few seconds of silence passed between the two.

"O-oh… You heard that, huh?"

"Every word"

"Mordred, do you think Professor Ozpin made a mistake? Do I even deserve to be your team leader?"

"Hmmm… No" Mordred replied "No, I don't think the old man made a mistake and no, I don't think you deserve to be team leader"

"O-oh… I-"

"At least, not yet"

"Huh?" Ruby asked, looking at her partner with a look of confusion.

"Look, Red, nobody just _becomes_ a great leader in an instant. They have to work for it. So, go do just that. Prove to that idiot that you can and you _will_ become the greatest team leader ever to step foot in Beacon. After you've done that, you can march up to that idiot and shove it in her face over how awesome you are" Mordred said.

"Y-you really think I can be a great team leader?"

"Of course I do. Have I ever lied to you before?"

"W-well, you did say you weren't going to be late this morning…"

"That was me lying to the Ice Queen, not you" Mordred replied before she got up "So, you wanna go get something to eat?"

"Um… No. Not right now. There's something I have to do" Ruby replied.

"Hmmm… Cool. Well, see you later, I guess" Mordred said as the two partners left in opposite directions.

 **[Team RWBM's Dorm]**

"Oh, hey… Didn't know you were in here" Mordred said upon entering the room as Blake was busy with yet another book.

"Hey" was all Blake said in reply. Lying down on her bed, Mordred turned towards Blake, staring at the girl as she read her book.

"…"

"…"

"You know, reading porn in broad daylight can't be healthy for you" Mordred remarked.

"This isn't porn!" Blake shouted in defence.

"Oh yeah? Remind me, what's the title again?"

"… Ninjas of love…"

"And what is the story about?"

"… It doesn't matter what it is" Blake replied, not bothering to answer the question "And besides, I have other books I can read. Books of different genres"

"Books that you are choosing not to read at the moment, instead choosing a book that is less than safe for work"

"Now I understand why Weiss doesn't like you"

"Heh… Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment" Mordred replied, a smug grin on her face "So, what's it like being partnered with the most annoying girl to ever exist on the face of Remnant?"

"I don't know. You'll have to ask Ruby that" Blake replied, a small grin of her own.

"Ouch. Nice. Guess I walked into that one"

"But if you're talking about Weiss, it is what it is. She can be incredibly bossy at times, as you've no doubt seen" the girl replied.

"Don't I know it"

"It's only been one day, though, so hopefully, she'll mellow out in time"

"Yeah, good luck with that" Mordred replied with a snort as the door to their dorm slid open.

"Is Ruby here?" Weiss asked, as she stepped foot inside.

"Hold on, let me check. Yo, Red! You in here? Ice Queen's looking for you!" Mordred shouted. A few seconds of silence passed before Mordred said anything "Nope. Doesn't look like she's in here"

An annoyed tick appeared on Weiss's forehead. Ignoring what the blonde just said, Weiss asked, "Do you know where she went?"

"Not really, no" Blake replied.

"Same here" Mordred added "Why? You gonna yell at her again?"

"No! I wish to… apologize to her. I know what I said was too much and that's why… I need to make things right" Weiss answered.

"Gasp… Weiss Schnee? Apologize?! Think of the scandal! The outrage! The media outcry" Mordred said in a mocking tone.

Instead of giving the blonde the satisfaction, Weiss simply turned around and left the room.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Piss her off"

"Because it's fun? You should try it sometime. It's very cathartic" Mordred answered.

"Wow. Cathartic. Didn't realize you knew how to use such a big word" Blake replied.

"Screw you, Belladona" Mordred replied with a flip of the bird.

"No thanks. I'm not into that" Blake countered with a smirk before turning her attention back to her book.

 **[Later that night]**

Weiss tiptoed back into the room, ignoring the snoring from her team as she made her way to Ruby's bed, the girl having fell asleep on a bunch of books and papers. Surprised at the how hard the young girl was working, Weiss made to cover the girl up with her blanket before Ruby woke up with a start.

"W-Weiss! I didn't realize you were back. I- I was studying but then I feel asleep and I'm sorry that I-"

"Shh… They're sleeping" Weiss said, her arm over the girl's mouth as she pointed over her shoulder at Blake and Mordred "Would you like some coffee?"

"Umm… I don't drink-" Ruby started before changing her mind "Yes, I would. Cream and five sugars"

A few seconds later, Weiss came back, a hot mug of coffee in her hand as she handed it to the young girl.

"Ruby, I… I wanted to say I'm sorry. Sorry for how I acted this morning. Also, I just want to say that I think… No, I _know_ you're going to be a terrific team leader" Weiss said, receiving a beaming smile from the younger girl.

"Y-you really think so?"

"Of course. Also, I'm going to be your greatest teammate ever. Even more so than that useless brute you call a partner" Weiss added, before leaving the girl to her studies "Good luck studying"

"Thanks, Weiss" Ruby said, as Weiss left the room.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on chapter 2. Shorter chapter this time. Hope you guys don't mind. Also hoping to write longer chapters as the series continues. Also, thank you all for the faves, follows, and reviews. Really means a lot to me, especially the reviews (Apologies if I don't reply to them).**

 **About this chapter, I hope you guys like it. Nothing much happens, really. The next chapter should kick things into a higher gear. I've thought of a few ways to make it different from canon so, stay tuned.**

 **With that said, fave and follow if you like the story. All reviews are welcome so, feel free to speak your mind.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	3. Chapter 3

"So, how're things going with your team, Weiss?" Arthuria asked as she stacked her plate full of bacon.

"It's going… as well as I could have hoped for, I suppose" the SDC Heiress replied as she went with the healthier meal of a simple salad "Ruby's been working hard for the past month, Blake's been… well, Blake and then there's… Mordred. The less said about that fool, the better"

Arthuria sighed at the mention of her sister, "I apologize-"

" _You_ have nothing to apologize for, Arthuria. She's the one that's been causing problems for people wherever she goes, she should be the one begging for an apology" Weiss remarked as the two girls made for their tables where the rest of the team were already in the midst of their breakfast "Gods only knows what's going through that idiot's head, what with her already receiving detention twice in the span of four weeks. I mean, how does anyone even accomplish that?! The year's just started and already she's earned the ire of most, if not all, of the Professors here at Beacon. That's just… just so…"

"Mordred? I know full well what you mean" Arthuria replied as the two girls sat down amongst Teams RWBM, JAPC, and LYFV. The three teams had quickly formed a sort of friendship over the last month having chosen to train and study together during their free time. Some of the members have even went out during weekends together "Believe me, I know"

"Guessing from that expression on Weiss's face, she was ranting about Mordred again?" Yang quipped, a plate of cakes in front of her.

"You guessed right" Arthuria said.

"Speaking of, where is she? Don't tell me she's still stuck with Professor Goodwitch for detention?" Jaune asked, finishing up the last of his breakfast of fruits.

"Nah, that can't be it. She told me she was done with all that yesterday" Ruby answered before the blonde in question strolled into the cafeteria with in all her unkempt glory.

"Speak of the devil and she shall appear, huh?" Cu Chulainn remarked as he munched on a muffin "How are you two so different, anyway? The only thing you two have in common are your looks"

"Mordred's been that way for as long as I can remember. I guess there's just some things about a person you can't explain. It's just who they are, I suppose" Arthuria replied, watching her sister as the girl cut in line to get her breakfast, not even giving the curses and glares from the other students a second thought.

"Yeah, and your sister's an ass if I've ever met one" Yang quipped.

"She's not that bad, guys" Ruby said, in an attempt to defend her partner "She has some good qualities about"

"Oh yeah? Name one" Yang challenged.

"Oh… uh… well… There's…" Ruby muttered, racking her brain trying to think of something "Oh, I got it! She's great at making armor and weapons. Exhibit A: Her own armor"

"Good effort, Rubes" Yang replied "If anything, it shows you're a better partner than she deserves"

"Ow! Please stop…" came the cries of a Faunus girl from in front of the three teams, cutting off any further conversation about Mordred.

"Cardin" Blake growled, the fork in her hand bending slightly and the fish in front of her all but forgotten.

"And then there's this asshole" Chulainn said, a frown forming on his face as the leader of Team CRDL, Cardin Winchester, pulled on the rabbit ears of one Velvet Scarlatina. Outnumbered as she was, the poor girl could only cry out in pain as the four boys paid no heed towards her pain.

"Despicable" Pyrrha spat, glaring at the team.

"Doesn't that jackass ever get tired of all that?" Yang added, a deep frown on her face.

"What's worse is that people aren't doing anything at all to try and stop it" Blake remarked, looking at the various students.

"Oh, oh. Let's break his legs!" Nora suggested before turning to Frankenstein "Partner, you hold him down while I snap those legs of his like a bunch of twigs!"

"Right" Fran replied with a nod before Ren pushed the both of them back down.

"Nora, we are not breaking Cardin's legs" the boy said "Fran, please don't enable her actions"

"Well, someone has to do _something_ " Nora whined, disappointment in her eyes as her partner patted her back.

"You're right, Nora. Someone _has_ to do something" Jaune said, echoing the girl's sentiment as he got up from his seat "And someone _will_ "

"If you're planning to be the girl's knight in shining armor, Vomit Boy, you're too little, too late" Yang remarked, pointing towards Cardin's group with her fork "Someone much worse than Cardin just beat you to it"

True to the blonde's words, Mordred was making her way towards them as the girl shoved Cardin aside.

"Move" Mordred said, not even sparing Cardin a glance.

"Hey, watch where you're going, Pendragon!" Cardin shouted, only to be ignored by the blonde "Dumb bitch"

"Uh oh" Ruby said, eyes widening by a tiny margin "Guys, I think it's best if we stepped in here"

"On one hand, I agree with you, Rubes" Yang replied, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes "But on the other, I kind of want to see what happens"

"What'd you just say to me?!" Mordred asked, a murderous glow in the girl's eyes as she glared a hole through the taller Cardin.

"Hmph. You think you're so tough, don't you? Walking around here like you own the damn place" the boy replied, unflinching at the girl's gaze as the two teens stared each other down "Well news flash, you stupid bitch, you don't scare me one bit"

"I _really_ don't like that word" Mordred said, cracking her neck as the occupants of the nearby tables began to back away from the two students.

"And what word would that be, bitch?" the boy spat the last word, a smirk forming on his face as the rest of his team snickered at the blonde.

"Call me a _bitch_ one more time" Mordred said with a smirk of her own "I _dare_ you"

"Bit-" Cardin couldn't even finish the thought before Mordred buried her fist into the boy's stomach, lifting him a few inches off the ground and driving out all the air from his body.

"Anyone else?" Mordred asked, cracking her knuckles as she stared down the other three members of Team CRDL.

"You fuc-" that was all Russell managed to utter before Mordred smashed into the boy's face with her knee, red filling her vision as the girl turned her attention towards Sky and Dove.

 **[/]**

"-dred! Mordred! Enough! That's enough!" Arthuria shouted, her arms around her sister in an effort to stop the blonde from crushing Cardin's windpipe with her foot "Any more than that and you're going to kill him!"

As if shocked out of a trance, Mordred looked around to find that broken benches and tables now littered a small portion of the cafeteria, with the bodies of Team CRDL strewn all over the broken furniture. Feeling a light tap on her foot, Mordred looked down to see a bruised Cardin with her own foot pressing on the boy's throat.

"Get your hands off me" Mordred said, pulling herself free from Arthuria's grip before taking her feet off of Cardin. Ignoring her sister and her team's cries for her to stop, Mordred made her way for the cafeteria's exit before she was abruptly stopped in her tracks by Professor Goodwitch.

"Ms Pendragon" the woman said, staring straight into Mordred before the Deputy Headmistress, with the help of her semblance, repaired the damage the teen had done to the cafeteria with a flick of her wrist and a wave of her riding crop "Headmaster's office. _Now_ "

"Would Team RWBM please assist Team CRDL in getting to the infirmary, please?" Professor Goodwitch snarled, following behind Mordred as the two blondes made their way towards the Headmaster's office.

"But we-" Weiss made to protest before Glynda cut the girl off with a glare.

" _Now_ , Miss Schnee"

"Y-yes, ma'am" the Heiress replied, as she, Ruby, and Blake carried Team CRDL off to the infirmary.

 **[Later, Professor Ozpin's Office]**

"Broken nose, four broken ribs, injured neck, broken arm, dislocated ankle, possible concussion, and multiple cuts on the boy's body. Those are just the injuries the nurse could identify on Mr Winchester _without_ performing a thorough examination" Glynda said, pausing for a second before continuing "From the nurse's early reports, it will take the boy a week at most to recover physically. Psychologically, however, that is a different matter altogether. As for the rest of his team-"

"That's enough, Glynda. I'm sure it will all be fully detailed in the report" Ozpin spoke before he turned his attention towards the younger blonde in the room "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Miss Pendragon?"

"Honestly, yeah. I honestly don't see why I'm the one at fault here. If anything, I should be praised as the hero of this story" Mordred replied, not flinching under the Headmaster's stare.

"Do you think you're being funny right now, young lady?!" Glynda shouted, slamming Ozpin's desk with her riding crop "Not only did you destroy a part of school property, you went as far as almost killing one of your fellow students. Mark my words, young lady, your actions today will _not_ go unpunished"

"Oh, please. If something like that was enough to kill them, then should they even be here in the first place?" Mordred countered, unflinching at the Deputy Headmistress's gaze.

"Glynda" Ozpin spoke, cutting the woman off before she could say anything "Do you think it possible for you to let me handle this matter? By myself?"

"Ozpin?! You can't possibly be serious?!" Glynda recoiled in shock, staring at the man as if he had grown a second head.

"I believe that it would be more productive if the parties involved in this discussion had cooler heads, don't you?" the man asked, a small smile directed at his deputy.

"I disagree with that idea, Ozpin but you've had more experience in this than I do so, I suppose I'll have to trust you on this" Giving Mordred one last glare, Glynda left the room, slamming the office walls with her riding crop on her way out.

"Boy, she needs to get laid, huh?" Mordred joked, a grin on her face as Ozpin responded by taking a sip of his coffee.

"You know, Miss Pendragon, I don't believe you're as terrible as the rumours make you out to be" the Headmaster said "Because if you were, then you certainly wouldn't have stepped in to save Miss Scarlatina from being bullied now, would you?"

"Don't get the wrong idea, old man" Mordred countered "I didn't save _anybody_. All I did was beat up a jackass. That Faunus chick simply got lucky"

"You're not very good at being honest with your feelings are you, Ms Pendragon?" Ozpin wondered aloud.

"Hah? The Hell are you on about? And besides, even if it was my intent on helping that girl out, I certainly did a better job than any of the teachers of this school. I mean, what do they ever do? Give out warnings and detentions? Yeah, like that'll work on dumbasses like CRDL. And it's not like the students around here would man up and do something about it. All they ever do is stare at what was happening in front of them, pity in their eyes, before walking away" Mordred sneered at the thought all the while not dropping her gaze on Ozpin "In the first place, for someone enrolled in a place to fight _literal_ monsters of darkness, she shouldn't have even been in that situation in the first place. Getting bullied by some idiot like Winchester of all people. What a fucking joke"

"Hmmm… That certainly is a colourful way to put it. The way you delivered your thoughts on the matter certainly reminded me of an old acquaintance of mine. Your mother, to be exact" Ozpin said, noting how the girl's eyes widened in anger "You and Morgana are quite similar in that regard"

"I am _nothing_ like that woman!" Mordred shouted, as she slammed her hands on the Headmaster's desk "Don't you _dare_ compare me to that disgrace of a human being! Ever!"

"That's quite a reaction, Miss Pendragon" Ozpin replied, a passive look on his face "Nevertheless, Miss Goodwitch was correct. You will have to face the consequences of your actions today"

"Fine. Whatever. Just give it to me already so I can go back to my room" Mordred replied, arms crossed.

"For the rest of the semester, after your classes are over, you will be required to assist any Professor with whatever task they have in mind for you. Your duties ends at eight o'clock. After that time, you are free to do as you please, whether that be training or studying" Ozpin said as Mordred replied with a click of her tongue.

"Fine. Whatever. Sounds simple enough, anyway" Mordred said as the bell rang, signifying the end of lunch hour.

"You are dismissed, Ms Pendragon. And remember, after your classes are over, you are to assist a Professor whenever he or she requires your help. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. No need to remind me. I'm not going senile yet, old man" Mordred replied as she left the Headmaster's office.

 **[/]**

" _Mother, mother! Guess what Arthuria and I did today!" Mordred shouted as she ran into her mother's room with her entire body covered in dirt and mud "We fought with swords!"_

" _Hmmm… Is that so?" the girl's mother replied, sat behind a desk while dressed in a black dress._

" _Mmhmm. Arthuria won, of course. I mean, of course she would. She's so much better than I am, after all" the girl said and even though she was speaking of her loss, she did so with an innocent smile that all children possess "But one of these days, I'm going to get better at fighting and I'm going to beat her"_

" _Hmmm… Well, do keep it up, dear" her mother replied as she continued on with her work, not even bothering to send a glance towards the young girl's way._

" _What are you doing now, mother?" Mordred asked, as she stood beside the older woman._

" _Just some boring work, child"_

" _Can I see?" the young girl asked, reaching for a piece of document before her hand was slapped away by her mother._

" _DON'T TOUCH THAT, FOOL! THAT IS IMPORTANT WORK THAT SHOULD NOT BE DIRTIED BY DIRT!" the woman suddenly shouted, shocking the young Mordred. A few seconds passed before the woman sighed, "I'm sorry about that, young one, but you know how important my work is. Please don't damage any of these documents"_

" _Y-yes… I-I'm sorry, mother… I won't do it again" the young girl said, a lone tear sliding down her face._

" _I know you won't, child. Now, run along and clean yourself up. Dinner will soon be upon us"_

" _Okay!" the young girl replied, wiping away her tear as she sped out of her mother's room._

 **[/]**

Mordred awoke slowly, her eyes opening to reveal a dark sky with the shattered moon of Remnant having been blocked by dark and heavy clouds. Thinking back to the dream she just had, the girl clenched her fists.

"Stupid dream" the girl muttered to herself, brow furrowed at the unpleasant memory. Grabbing her scroll beside her, Mordred checked to see that it was already half past nine. Remembering the field trip scheduled for their class tomorrow, the girl got up and left for her dorm.

Not wanting to face her team's judgement just yet, Mordred decided to take the scenic route and explore the academy a little. Before long, the blonde reached the school's arena where Glynda's combat classes took place. From within the building, Mordred could see that the lights had been turned on and faint sounds of battle could be heard.

"It's almost ten. Who the Hell's still up training at this ungodly hour?" Mordred asked herself as she entered the building. Not wanting to reveal herself, the girl took a seat in the darker area of the classroom, content to observe just who it was that was so hardworking.

"Oi, oi. Don't tell me that's all you got, fearless leader?" came a familiar voice from the stage "Is this really the result of your hard work this past month? Because if it is, colour me disappointed"

"Chulainn, anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?" another voice, a boy from the sound of it, said as the sound of steel clashing reverberated through the empty classroom.

"In fact, they have. They also told me it's one of my greatest charms" the first voice – Cu Chulainn, Mordred just remembered – replied before delivering a counter to his opponent's stomach that forced him to his knee. Upon closer inspection, Mordred realized that it was Team JAPC down on the arena.

" _Which must mean that…"_ Mordred let her train of thought trail off as she spotted her sister on one of the benches nearby, " _There you are, you bitch"_

Gritting her teeth at the sight of the girl, Mordred took a seat that was closer to the arena but just far enough that they wouldn't spot her.

"Do you yield?" Chulainn asked, the tip of his spear pointed at the neck of Jaune.

"I yield" Jaune replied, taking the blue haired boy's hand as they left the stage.

"That was great work, Jaune" the redhead of the team – Pyrrha Nikos – said, as she handed her leader a towel.

"Not good enough" Jaune grumbled, as he took a seat on the floor "I'm still nowhere near good enough to compete with any of you guys".

"Jaune-"

"Heh. Don't sweat it. After all, you were facing the great me so, no way you would be able to win" Chulainn added, a victory smirk on his face, before Arthuria struck the boy with her elbow.

"What this idiot was trying to say is you should be proud of your achievements and not let your losses get the better of you" his partner said, her hand on his shoulder.

"Arthuria's right, Jaune. Being tenth in class isn't necessarily a bad thing"

"Yeah… Yeah, I guess you're right. Especially when you consider who else is in the class. Yang, Nora, Weiss, Ruby… Even Mordred" Jaune said, getting up as he turned his attention towards his blue haired teammate "Just you wait, Chulainn. One of these days, I'll be the one looking down on you, a victory smirk on my face"

"Hah! I wouldn't have it any other way" the boy answered, as a fire was lit in both of their eyes.

"Boys… So competitive" Pyrrha said with a sigh.

"Agreed. Anyway, we should be going. We have an early start tomorrow with the fieldtrip to the Forever Fall and you know how Ms Goodwith feels about tardiness" Arthuria said, as she and her team started to leave the arena.

"Ms Goodwitch? Wasn't Professor Peach supposed to be guiding us?" Jaune wondered aloud.

"She couldn't make it. Something about a research emergency"

"Oh? Ms Goodwitch is gonna come along, huh? This fieldtrip just got a lot more interesting" Chulainn said, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"Excited, Chulainn? With how you're acting, you could forgive someone if they thought you had a crush on her or something" Arthuria noted, a teasing smile on her face.

"Who knows?" the boy replied with a shrug.

"No way. Do you?" Jaune asked with a look of amazement. As all this was going on, the four teens still had not noticed Mordred sitting in the dark corner of the classroom, observing them as they left the arena.

" _What the hell was all that?! She was smiling… and laughing. She_ never _used to be this way"_ Mordred thought to herself, a scowl on her face. Frustrated, Mordred left the arena herself soon after.

 **[/]**

Reaching her dorm, Mordred was just about to open the door when she heard the voices of her team from inside.

"Do you guys know where Mordred is?" Ruby asked "It's getting late and we have to get up early for our fieldtrip tomorrow"

"Can't say I have" Blake replied "At least, not since classes ended for the day"

"I think I'm gonna go out and-"

"Don't trouble yourself, Ruby" Weiss said, cutting her team leader off "Knowing that idiot, she'll just get mad at your for bothering her. Besides, she's seventeen. I'm sure even a fool like her knows how to take care of herself"

Mordred scowled at what the Heiress just said and was about to burst into the room before Ruby spoke, "Weiss, why do you have to be so negative about her? Can't we all just get along like a team?"

"Wha- I am always trying to be nice to her!"

"Yeah, that's a load of bull" Mordred muttered under her breath.

"Doesn't seem like it. I mean, you're nice to me and Blake but whenever it comes to Mordred, it's like you won't even consider the idea of being friends with her"

"I've known her far longer than you have, Ruby. She's just… difficult to get along with" Weiss replied "And she's also not the safest friend to have around. You saw what she did to Cardin earlier. How she snapped"

"Well, yeah but… she did help that Faunus girl out. So, that's something to be proud of, right?"

"Hmph… I'm sure they were just in her way, that's all. She's not that selfless. Trust me" Weiss said. At that point, Mordred had heard enough and barged into the room, ending all conversation.

"Mordred!" Ruby shouted, a smile on her face "You're back! We were wondering where you went"

"Don't worry about it. Was just going for a short walk" the blonde replied before turning her attention towards Weiss "If you keep scowling like that, your face is gonna be full of wrinkles by the time you're twenty, Ice Queen"

"You're the last person I want to hear that from" Weiss replied.

"Anyway, I'm gonna go take a shower. Been a long day" Mordred said, her towel in hand

"O-okay. Well, our fieldtrip is tomorrow so-"

"I got it. Don't stay up too late, right? Later" Mordred replied, as she left the room.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Hmmm… Not my favourite chapter to write, tbh. Struggled with a few things during the chapter. I hope you guys enjoy the small flashback, though. Nothing much to say about this chapter just that it's a transitionary one. Next chapter will have a lot more going on so, stay tuned.**

 **As always, your faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated. Thank you all.**

 **Also, Happy New Year 2019 everyone. Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year!**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	4. Chapter 4

**[Forever Fall]**

"Alright, children. Settle down, settle down" Miss Goodwitch said, addressing the teenagers in front of her who were all currently dressed in their combat gear "As you all know, your assignment for today is to gather one jar of red sap. All except for Miss Pendragon who, because of her actions yesterday, will have to fill out four extra jars to compensate for Team CRDL's absence. Is that understood?"

"Tch. Fine, whatever" Mordred replied with a scowl.

"Additionally, this forest is teeming with the creatures of Grimm so be sure to always stay by your teammates at all times. Understood?" the Professor asked, receiving nods from the students in return "Very well. We will all rendezvous back here at four o'clock. Have fun and stay safe, children"

 **[/]**

"So… This is fun, right?" Ruby said, as she started draining the tree in front of her.

"Sure, that's certainly one way to put it. You know, if collecting sap from a tree is your definition of fun" Mordred replied as she stared at her jar slowly being filled with the red liquid.

"So, what did yesterday after classes, Mordred?" Ruby asked once more.

"Nothing much. Bit of carrying, bit of cleaning. Which sucks, by the way" the blonde replied.

"Hmph. That's what you get for doing what you did" Weiss added from a nearby tree.

"Of course you'd say that, seeing as what I did was save a Faunus from being bullied" Mordred countered.

"Oh, please. You and I both know you're the last person with thoughts of 'saving' another person, human _or_ Faunus" Weiss replied "We all know you just wanted an excuse to fight"

"I'd hardly call what I did to Winchester and his goons a fight"

"Alright, guys. Let's all calm down here. We don't want to anger Ms Goodwitch for the second day in a row" Ruby said, putting herself between the two girls.

"I don't know why you guys are so afraid of her, anyway. She's not _that_ scary" Mordred quipped, as she moved on to filling up her second jar "Besides, if it came down to it, I'm pretty sure I could take her"

"I can't tell if that's bravery or stupidity talking" Blake said, joining in on the conversation.

"Stupidity. Nothing _less_ than stupidity is suitable for an idiot like her" Weiss added, nodding in agreement with her partner.

"Hah. It's because of people like you two are the reasons why our generation's Hunters are going to be weak and small-minded. But not me. Not with my trusty Clarent by my side" the blonde countered, a smug look on her face all the while patting her weapon that was currently strapped to her back.

"Speaking of, can I hold it?" Ruby asked, eyes dazzled as she stared at the red and silver sword on her partner's back.

"No problem, Red" Mordred replied, handing the sword to Ruby.

"Wow. No matter how many times I hold it, its' beauty never ceases to amaze me" the girl thought aloud as she inspected every inch of the sword "Did you make it yourself?"

"Nah. It's more of a family heirloom" Mordred replied "Although, I did make a few adjustments to make it compatible with dust"

"Family heirloom, huh? So you inherited it from your dad" Ruby wondered.

"Sure, let's go with that answer" Mordred replied with a shrug.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Weiss asked, eyes narrowing in on the blonde.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Ice Queen" Mordred answered as she took back her weapon from Ruby, much to the dismay of the young girl "Anyway, could you watch that jar for me, Red?"

"Huh? Where are you going, Mordred?" Ruby asked as her partner stood up.

"That's right. Where _are_ you going? Ms Goodwitch gave _you_ this task, not Ruby" Weiss said, blocking Mordred's path.

"Jeez, relax, would you? I'm just going to take a leak" Mordred said, pushing her way through the Heiress.

"Hmmm… I'm not convinced" Weiss said as the blonde disappeared into the forest.

"Weiss, relax. She's only going to the toilet. What's the worst that could happen?"

 **[/]**

"You guys think it tastes good at all?" Jaune asked, inspecting his filled jar.

"Hard to say without actually having a taste of it" Pyrrha added, sniffing her jar's contents.

"Can confirm. It tastes sweet" Chulainn answered, his mouth covered in red sap.

"Chulainn, what the hell are you doing? What if they had been poisonous?" Arthuria asked, an exasperated look on her face.

"It's fine. I mean, that's what Aura's for, right?"

"I'm no expert on Aura but I'm pretty sure that's not how they work" Jaune said.

"Well, I _am_ an expert and that's _not_ how they work" Pyrrha added, sighing at her partner's antics.

"Hey" a voice suddenly called out from the forest, startling the girl in question a bit. Turning around, the young girl saw her sister leaning on a tree.

"Mordred? What are you-"

"Follow me" the girl said with a nod towards the forest.

"What? Mordred, wait" Arthuria shouted, chasing after her sister.

"What do you think all that was about?" Chulainn wondered.

"I have no idea" Pyrrha said.

"Me neither. But I have a bad feeling about this. I'm going to follow them" Jaune said, handing his jar over to Chulainn "Here, take this"

"I'm coming with you" Pyrrha added, shoving her own jar into the arms of her partner as she trailed after her leader deeper into Forever Fall.

"What the hell am I supposed to do with these?" the boy asked, only for him to be ignored. Sighing, he then proceeded to open Pyrrha's jar and began to eat the contents "Honestly, these people are so selfish"

 **[/]**

"Where do you think she went?" Ruby asked as she gathered the rest of her partner's jars.

"If I know Mordred – and unfortunately, I do – then she would be the only one dumb enough to even get going to the bathroom wrong" Weiss muttered as she sat under a tree, her partner beside her with a small book in hand.

"Don't worry too much, Ruby" Blake added "Despite how she acts, Mordred is a trained fighter. I'm sure she could get through one or two Grimm if she met any"

"Hmmm… I'm going to go look for her" Ruby said with a worried expression.

"You're thinking too much about this, Ruby" Weiss said, her hands on her leader's shoulders trying to calm the young girl down "That idiot will be fine"

" _That idiot_ has a name, Weiss" Ruby replied, almost snarling, as she shook off the girl's hands "I'll be back soon. You guys get the jars to Ms Goodwitch"

"Fine. We'll meet you back at the rendezvous point" Weiss replied with a shake of her head.

 **[/]**

For the next couple of minutes, Arthuria simply followed Mordred as they trekked through the forest in silence, the girl having absolutely no idea what was going through her sister's mind. A few paces behind them were Jaune and Pyrrha.

A few more seconds of silence passed as the two girls trekked through the jungle before finally reaching a small clearing. Seeing that the two girls had seemingly reached their destination, Jaune and Pyrrha quickly chose a nearby bush to hide behind.

"Do you know what I remember most from our childhood?" Mordred spoke first, breaking the silence as she stood in the middle of the clearing "Admiration"

"Mordred? What are you talking about?" Arthuria asked, staring at her sister.

"I was always standing in awe of your abilities, from the way you fought to the way you mastered your Aura and your Semblance even to how great you were with your studies" Mordred continued, ignoring her sister's question "The great Arthuria Pendragon. 'Fighting prodigy', 'once in a lifetime talent', 'greatest of her generation'"

"Stop it" Arthuria said.

"Two-time Mistral Regional Tournament matched only by Pyrrha Nikos. 'The greatest Pendragon the world has ever known', 'Richard the Lionheart reborn', 'Heiress to the Pendragon Fortune'"

"I said stop it" Arthuria said once more, her voice rising, and once more, Mordred ignored her.

"What a fucking joke" Mordred spat, still not bothering to face her sister "When in fact, you were nothing but a soulless robot of a sister, willing to do anything to get to the top, including destroying your own family. You know what the funny things is? I was completely fine with being in your shadow. Supporting you however I could. But that wasn't enough for you, was it? No. You had to put me down the harshest way you could. And when that wasn't enough, you left me out in the cold, alone to fend for myself"

"Mordred, I never-" Arthuria protested, only to be cut off.

"Shut up! Just shut up" Mordred shouted, finally turning around to face her sister as she unsheathed her sword from her back "The time for talk is over"

"Mordred, you're not making any sense. Just calm down and let's talk this over, alright?" Arthuria said only for her words to fall on deaf ears.

"I told you to shut up. The only reason I even enrolled to this shit-stain of an academy in the first place was so I could finally prove to you and _everyone_ that I am better than you" Mordred screamed, eyes wide "So, take out your _precious_ Excalibur and get ready for a fight"

"Mordred, this is crazy! I'm not going to fight you!" Arthuria protested. Even so, the girl still had her hand around Excalibur's handle, ready to draw it at a moment's notice.

"Have it your way!" Mordred shouted in fury, leaping at her sister with Clarent gripped tightly in her hand. Arthuria was barely able to block the girl's attack in time, an attack that sent Arthuria reeling back a few feet.

"You're pathetic, you know that?!" Mordred shouted and was ready to deliver another attack but was stopped in her tracks by the sudden arrival of Jaune and Pyrrha.

"That's enough, Mordred" Jaune said, sword and shield at the ready "You may be her sister but I won't go easy on someone who's willing to hurt any of my friends"

"Jaune's right. Stand down, Mordred. You're outnumbered _and_ outmatched" Pyrrha added, as she stared at Mordred like a hawk.

Snarling at the pair in front of her, Mordred's grip on her weapon tightened as she prepared for another attack but was stopped in her tracks when Arthuria spoke up.

"No" Arthuria said, placing a hand on Jaune's shoulder as she stepped forward.

"Arthuria? What are you doing?" Jaune asked.

"I'm sorry, Jaune, but whether I like it or not, this has been coming for some time now" the blonde told her team leader, an apologetic smile on her face "This is something that I have to do. I hope you understand"

"Arthuria…" Jaune trailed off as he shared a look with Pyrrha before nodding "Okay. I can't pretend to understand what's going on but we won't interfere"

"But if things seem to be going too far, we won't be afraid to step in" Pyrrha added as the two teens sheathed their weapons.

"Thank you" Arthuria replied before turning to face Mordred, a resolute expression on her face.

"I remember that look. That's the look you have when you finally decide to get your shit together" Mordred said, receiving no reply from Arthuria "Not gonna say anything? Fine by me. This is what I wanted from the start, anyway"

Still receiving no answer from Arthuria, Mordred entered into a fighting stance as the two girls began circling one another in silence. A few tense seconds passed before the two sisters charged at one another.

Steel clashed against steel.

Clarent versus Excalibur as Mordred, with her unbridled fury, locked blades with Arthuria, her unwavering calm never once breaking. The sounds of their fight soon reverberated throughout the forest around them. Seeing that a match of strength like this was useless, Arthuria leapt back only for Mordred to capitalize with a horizontal swing aimed at her sister's head.

Unfortunately for her, Arthuria successfully blocked the attack as she spun in a wide arc before bashing Mordred on the side of her head with Excalibur's hilt.

"Argh!" Mordred shouted, the attack having staggered her back a few feet as she clutched her head. Noticing just in the nick of time, Mordred rolled back as Arthuria pressed on with a barrage of attacks, all of which Mordred could barely block and parry due to the ringing in her head.

Before long, she was able to recover her senses and immediately leapt back to gain some distance from Arthuria.

" _Tch. Forgot how annoying she was_ " Mordred thought to herself as she growled at her sister. Realizing she's going to kick it up a notch, the girl then twisted Clarent's handle to activate its Dust function as the blade suddenly crackled with electricity. Not giving Arthuria any time to react, Mordred instantly went back on the offensive.

Shocked by this sudden development, Arthuria was barely able to dodge a swing from Mordred before receiving an armoured kick to her stomach that sent her staggering back a few feet. Seeing her chance, Mordred was able to successfully land a slash on her sister.

"Yeah! You see that?! I'm not the same weak Mordred that you knew all those years ago, _sister_ " Mordred said as Arthuria got back to her feet "I've gotten better than you and from now on, I _will_ always be better than you!"

"I'm happy for you, Mordred, at how much you've improved" Arthuria said, a warm smile on her face.

"Oi, what the hell is up with that stupid smile on your face?!" Mordred asked with an irritated tone "Don't you get what's happening right now?! I'm beating you in this fight!"

"Whether you believe it or not, Mordred, I never wanted you to fail" Arthuria replied as her smile faded before she entered into a fighting stance once more.

"Yeah, well… We'll see how you're feeling after all is said and done" Mordred snarled as the two sisters rushed each other once more.

 **[/]**

Ruby had been running around Forever Fall for a few minutes now searching for Mordred and by now, she was starting to feel tired from all the running. The young team leader was just about to give up and head back to her team before she heard the faint sounds of battle coming from somewhere in the forest. Deciding to see just what was going on, Ruby stumbled on Mordred and Arthuria's fight with Jaune and Pyrrha watching silently off to the side.

"Jaune! Pyrrha!" Ruby cried out, gaining their attention "What is going on? Why are they fighting? Why aren't you guys doing anything to stop them?"

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" Jaune asked before he dismissed the question with a shake of his head "Nevermind. It's Mordred. She came out of nowhere and just picked a fight with Arthuria"

"But why?!" Ruby asked as she looked at her partner.

"We don't know" Pyrrha answered as Arthuria and Mordred continued their battle, not even bothering to acknowledge Ruby's arrival.

"Well… Then… We should stop them before this gets any worse" Ruby said but was stopped in her tracks by Jaune "Jaune? What are you doing?"

"Arthuria told us to… not interfere" the blonde replied, a complicated expression on his face as he observed the match before him unfolded "And I don't recommend you interfere either, Ruby"

"What?! Why wouldn't I want to stop my _partner_ from getting hurt?!" Ruby countered, shoving the boy's arm away.

"Ruby, if you get in between them now, they could accidentally hurt you" Pyrrha answered "At this point, it's best to just let them finish what they started. I'm sorry, Ruby"

"…" Ruby was speechless as Mordred and Arthuria continued battling without a care in the world, the girl watching the fight before her with baited breath and clenched fists.

 **[/]**

" _Shit, shit shit!"_ Mordred thought to herself through gritted teeth as she collapsed to a knee " _What the hell is going on?! I should be better than her! I_ am _better than her. I have_ always _been better than her!"_

Arthuria was in no better shape herself. Panting heavily, Excalibur started feeling very heavy in her hands as she stared down at her sister.

"Mordred-"

"Shut up! This isn't… over yet!" Mordred shouted as she stood up shakily.

"Look at yourself, Mordred. You can barely stand as it is" Arthuria said.

"Shut up! You're just looking down on me like you always have! My sister?! Give me a fucking break! Any relations we ever had ended long ago! I'm going to pay you back for everything you did!" Mordred shouted, seething at every word as she glared at Arthuria.

"Are you done?" Arthuria asked, a frustrated look on her face as a sigh escaped her lips "Are you finally done blaming others for your own shortcomings and mistakes, Mordred?"

"You-"

"Do you know what I've learned through this fight? It's that Mordred Pendragon is a _fool_. There's an old saying: 'It's better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you're stupid than to open it and prove them right'. Because, Mordred… with all your gifts and all your talents and all your opportunities, you have the _nerve…_ to blame me" Arthuria said, as she looked at Mordred with rage in her eyes "Whether you like it or not, Mordred, we are still family and I am _still_ your sister and from the bottom of my heart, Mordred, I love you"

"Bull-"

"You may not want to believe that or maybe you just don't care but damn it, Mordred, I have _never_ stopped loving you but right now, I really, really don't like you" Arthuria spat out, Excalibur still in hand "You say you want to get better but instead of working hard and striving towards being a better fighter, what do you do? You ran away. Do you think you're something special, Mordred? Do you think I was born special? No. I worked hard to get to where I am today. Consider doing that next time instead of putting the blame on others"

Mordred gritted her teeth as she glared at her sister's retreating form, her hand gripping Clarent's handle so hard that her knuckles were starting to turn white. Mecha-shifting her helmet away, Mordred released her hold on Clarent before dropping down on all fours, staring at the ground in frustration.

" _Damn it, damn it, damn it!"_ Mordred thought to herself, frustration filling her to the brim.

"Let me help you, Mordred" A voice suddenly spoke out as Mordred looked up to see her partner helping her to stand.

"Red? What are you doing here?" Mordred asked, her arm around Ruby as the two teens started making their way back towards the rendezvous point.

"I came to look for you, of course" Ruby replied as she scooped up Clarent from the ground "Weiss wasn't happy about that, by the way"

"Heh… I'm sure the Ice Queen-"

Whatever Mordred was about to say was cut off as a giant shadow suddenly engulfed the two of them. Turning around, the two of them saw that a giant Ursa Major had appeared seemingly out of nowhere and was poised to strike them.

"What the-" was all Mordred could say before Ruby pushed her out of the way.

"Red!" Mordred shouted as Ruby took the full force of the Ursa's strike.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on Chapter 4. I really, really, really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I've been wanting to write this scene that formed in my head for a while now and I hope you guys like it. Next chapter's going to be the fallout from all this (duh) so, stay tuned for that. Gonna have a lot going on in Chapter 5.**

 **Also, user 17konbro asked me to list the characters in their teams so, here goes:-**

 **1)Team RWBM (Ruby): Ruby, Weiss, Blame, Mordred**

 **2)Team JAPC (Jasper): Jaune, Arthuria, Pyrrha, Cu Chulainn**

 **3)Team LYFV (Life? Live? Best I could come up with): Lie Ren, Yang, Frankenstein, Nora**

 **As always, fave and follow if you like what I'm doing. All good and bad reviews are welcome so, feel free.**

 **No XIV Signing Off**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ruby!" Jaune shouted, as he, Pyrrha, and Arthuria turned around just in time to see the young girl taking a direct hit from an Ursa Major. Thinking quickly, Pyrrha unsheathed her spear before launching it at the Grimm, impaling it into a nearby tree.

The Ursa responded with a rage filled roar as the redheaded champion decided to engage it.

"Ruby!" Jaune shouted as he reached the young girl who was now bleeding profusely from her head. Checking the girl's pulse, the blonde immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is-is she…" Mordred said, unable to find the strength to finish her question.

"Alive" Jaune nodded before placing his fellow team leader on his back as Pyrrha joined them after swiftly dispatching the Grimm "We need to get her back to Beacon quickly. She's lost a lot of blood"

"What about her Aura?! Why isn't it healing her injuries?! And why didn't it protect her when the damn Ursa attacked?!" Mordred asked, as the group were quickly making their way towards the designated rendezvous point.

Jaune shook his head in response to the girl's questions, "That's not how Aura works, Mordred. Aura only protects you from an attack if you know it's coming. I imagine the both of you were taken by surprise when it attacked. Between pushing you to safety and readying herself for the attack, Ruby probably didn't have enough time to do both"

"Damn it" Mordred cursed as conflicted emotions ran through her mind.

 **[/]**

"What do you think Professor Peach does with this stuff, anyway?" Yang asked Ren as she inspected the tree sap.

"Probably for some experiment of hers" the boy replied, as he filled the last of his team's jars.

"Well, whatever she does with it, it sure is sweet" Fran said.

"Sweet is right" Nora added as she wiped her mouth off of the stuff.

"Nora, please don't eat any more of our project" Ren said as he gathered his team's jars.

"Yes, Ren" Nora replied with a salute.

"You know, with the time you two spend together, I'm surprised you don't have a head full of grey hair yet, partner" Yang said, an amused smile on her face.

Ren was about to retort but was cut off by a scream coming from somewhere in the forest in front of them, "Professor Goodwitch!"

"Is that… Jaune?" Ren asked, as he and his team turned to the source.

"I wonder what happened…" Fran said, as the four teams made their way towards the blonde leader.

"Mr Arc! What is going on?" the professor shouted before she noticed the bloody form of Ruby on the boy's back "What happened?!"

"She was ambushed, Professor, by an Ursa. She didn't see it coming. Nor did any of us" Jaune explained as his team and Professor Goodwitch quickly climbed aboard the Bullhead that had brought them to Forever Fall "When it attacked, she-"

"Ruby?!" Yang shouted from behind them as the blonde quickly crouched down beside her unconscious sister. Shocked at seeing her sister in her current state, her eyes instantly turned an intense shade of red as she glared at Jaune "What the hell happened to her?!"

"Yang, we have to get Ruby back to Beacon" Jaune replied, ignoring her question "Before things get worse"

"Mr Arc is right, Miss Xiao-Long. I'm no medical professional but she seems to have lost a lot of blood" the professor explained calmly "Things will be okay once we reach Beacon"

"Fine" Yang said, as she, Jaune, and Weiss boarded the Bullhead as it left for Beacon.

 **[Later, Beacon Infirmary]**

The rest of Team LYVF and Team RWBM had reached Beacon's infirmary fifteen minutes ago and, needless to say, it had been an eventful fifteen minutes.

"What. Happened. To. My. Sister?!" Yang growled out, eyes still intensely red as she glared at Jaune with Nora the only thing stopping her from slamming the boy into a wall.

"Yang, it's-"

"It's not his fault" a voice interrupted. Mordred stood at the doorway to the waiting room of Beacon's infirmary.

"What?!" Yang asked, letting go of Jaune as all eyes in the room were now on Mordred.

"It's not his fault" Mordred said, unable to meet Yang's gaze "It was mine. I got pretty… heated up back there and I guess my… I guess the Ursa was attracted by the negative emotions I was letting out and neither of us saw it coming. Re- Ruby, she… pushed me out of the way but because of that, she wasn't able to-"

"Rargh!" Yang screamed at the top of her lungs as her fist collided with Mordred's face with the impact of a meteor, her hair having lit up in flames from her semblance. The impact was strong enough to send Mordred flying through the walls of the infirmary onto the hallway outside, startling the students inside _and_ outside of the waiting room.

"Yang, stop!" Nora shouted, restraining the blonde as best she could. Surprisingly, Nora was met with very little resistance from her teammate.

"If you ever – and I mean _ever_ – go near my sister again, I will do more than just break your face" Yang spat as she towered over Mordred's crumpled form.

"Mordred-" Weiss said, as she offered a hand to her teammate.

"Don't bother" the blonde replied, slapping Weiss's hand away as she got up "Leave me alone"

Weiss could only sigh as her teammate limped away from the scene.

"What happened out here?!" came the voice of Beacon's deputy Headmistress as she stepped into the waiting room.

"U-ummm… It was…" Nora said, stammering as she was unable to answer the older woman.

"It was Mordred" Yang answered, unwilling to make eye contact with the professor.

"Is that so?" Professor Goodwitch asked as she scanned the faces of the students in front of her. Sighing, she let the matter go, "Very well"

"Um… Is this a bad time?" Came the voice of Beacon's resident physician, Dr Dorian, as he stepped into the waiting room.

"No" Yang answered, turning around to face the doctor as a worried look appeared on her face "How is she, Doc?"

"She'll be fine" the doctor answered "She lost a lot of blood but not enough that it was alarming. The damage she received were dee. Even though we managed to patch her up, there was nothing we could do for the small scar below her right eye caused by the Ursa"

"Damn it" Yang cursed as she clenched her fists in anger.

"That being said, her life isn't in any danger and any more healing will be left to her Aura" the Doctor said, pausing to let the students take in the news before continuing "Although, we'll still have to keep her here for the night to monitor her vitals. She'll be good to go come the morning"

"Thank you, Doctor" Yang said, breathing a sigh of relief at the man's words.

"Think nothing of it. I was just doing my job. You kids can check on her if you want but she's asleep right now. Try not to wake her up. She needs the rest to recover from her blood loss" The Doctor said as he stepped over the rubble that was the entrance to the waiting room "Now, if you'll excuse me"

Heeding the Doctor's words, the members of Team LYFV, RWBM, and Jaune all entered Ruby's room one by one as quietly as possible.

 **[Later that night, Beacon Infirmary]**

Ruby awoke slowly as her eyes struggled to open against the bright lights of the infirmary. Before long, a groan escaped her lips, alerting Yang who was sat nearby.

"Ruby?!" Yang shouted, who quickly rushed to her sister's side.

"Y-Yang?" Ruby croaked out.

"I'm here, Ruby. I'm here" Yang answered, before she went in to give Ruby a tight hug.

"Y-Yang… I can't… breathe…"

"Oh, sorry" Yang said, letting the girl go.

"W-what happened?" Ruby asked after taking a few seconds to catch her breath "The last thing I remembered was- The Ursa! Yang, there was an Ursa!"

"Calm down, calm down. I know, Ruby. I know" Yang said, pushing Ruby back down to her bed in an attempt to calm the girl down "It was taken care of. You're safe now. You're back in Beacon"

"I- I am?" Ruby asked before taking a look around at her surroundings "Oh… I guess I am"

"How do you feel?" Yang asked as she offered a glass of water to her sister.

"I feel… fine, I suppose. Nothing too painful… anywhere on my body" Ruby replied as she took a huge gulp of water "Although, my eye does feel a bit itchy"

"About that… Ruby, when the Ursa attacked you, it left a… scar below your right eye. By the time you reached Beacon, it was too late for your Aura to do anything about it"

"Oh… I have a scar?" Ruby asked, touching the scar below her eye before slightly flinching at the jolt of pain "Ouch. That stings"

"Yeah. I'd imagine it does, seeing as it's still relatively fresh" Yang replied, amused at her sister's antics.

"Does it look cool, though?" Ruby asked, her hand still on her scar.

"It looks great on you, Rubes"

"Awesome!" Ruby cheered

"You hungry? I brought some apples from the cafeteria"

"Just apples?"

"And some cookies" Yang said, sighing.

"Yay. Yes, please" Ruby replied.

"Cookies and some apples. Weirdest food combination I've ever prepared"

"Hey, Yang? Where's Mordred?" Ruby asked as she looked around the room.

"Don't know" Yang answered with slight hesitation.

"She's probably in the dorm. I should give her a call and tell her I'm alright. Have you seen my scroll, Yang?" Ruby asked.

"Rubes, about Mordred…" Yang started, as she set the plate of food down in front of her sister.

"Hmm? What about her?" Ruby asked as she took a bite out of a cookie.

"I think – no, I know it's for the best if you stopped being in the same team as her" Yang said.

"W-what? What are you talking about, Yang?" Ruby asked, staring at her sister with confusion in her eyes.

"I mean, look at yourself. You almost got yourself killed today because of that bitch"

"Yang, I was helping out my partner" Ruby replied "That's what partners are supposed to do"

"No. What partners are supposed to do is look out for each other. I know for a fact that she is not the type of person who will ever do that" Yang said "I'm just looking out for you, sis. Right now, it's just a scar. Who knows what could happen the more time you spend with her"

"Yang, she's not just my partner, she's my friend. I'm not going to abandon her"

"Why not?! She would. Without a second thought, she would throw you under the bus if it meant saving her own skin"

"How do you know that?! You don't know her. None of you do. You know why?! Because you don't make the effort to!" Ruby shouted.

"I know the type of person she is, Ruby! She's the type of person who's always going to choose herself over others. What if she gets you killed next time?! Do you know what losing you will do to me?! To Uncle Qrow?! Or to dad?!" Yang argued as she stood up.

"I don't care what you say, Yang. Iam _not_ going to abandon her!" Ruby countered. Yang sighed as she stared at her little sister.

"I'm going to get something to drink" Yang replied, before leaving the room "Do you want anything? Milk? Tea?"

"No" Ruby answered, receiving a sigh from Yang as a reply.

 **[Team RWBM Dorm]**

" _Mordred Pendragon is a_ fool"

" _She's wrong_ " Mordred thought to herself, as she crammed another shirt into her suitcase. Her sister's words from the past day's events had been echoing in her mind ever since she left Beacon's infirmary

" _You ran away"_

" _I did_ not _run away. I left so that I could become stronger on my own"_ Mordred thought, as she slammed her suitcase shut.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?" came the voice of the one person she did not want to see right now.

"Where do you think? I'm out of here" Mordred replied, not even bothering to face Weiss.

"So that's it? You're just going to pack your bags and run away in the middle of the night with your tail tucked between your legs? I suppose I should be surprised but this is typical Mordred" Weiss scoffed at her teammate's action, arms crossed as she leaned against their dorm's doorway "You know, when I heard that you consoled Ruby after that time with the Boarbatusk, I had thought you were a changed person. You sure proved me wrong. I suppose that was my fault that someone like yourself could ever think about changing for the better"

"You sure are talkative today, Ice Queen" Mordred replied, slinging the suitcase over her shoulder as she turned to leave the room "Besides, I don't know what you're bitching about. I'd expect you're the first person to jump for joy after I'm out of here. Maybe throw a small party. After all, we haven't exactly been the best of pals"

"That's certainly an understatement but yes, I would be extremely happy to see you gone. But not Ruby" Weiss said, a frown on her face as their eyes met "For some reason or another, our dolt of a team leader seems to think you're a wonderful partner and that, if she tries hard enough, she could make Team RWBM into a team of the greatest friends the world of Remnant has ever known"

"She's a dreamer, I'll give her that" Mordred said, as she pushed past Weiss.

"Arthuria told me, you know, about what happened at Forever Fall" Weiss said, stopping Mordred in her tracks "What Ruby did, there was nothing you could have done to stop it. From Arthuria's account, the both of you were pretty beat up. No way you'd have been able to make it through without heavy injuries if the Ursa had hit you"

A few seconds of silence passed before Mordred spoke, "What, are you trying to console me? Man, you must have hit your head somewhere"

"So, that's it, huh? You're just going to waltz out of this academy without even saying goodbye?!"

"Actually, no. I'm giving my notice to Ozpin first and then I'll be saying goodbye to this shit stain of an academy" Mordred replied with a wave as she went on her way.

 **[Ozpin's Office]**

The elevator dinged as it reached the headmaster's office. Mordred stepped out to see the man in question behind his desk with a mug of coffee in his hand and a tablet in another.

"Miss Pendragon. I can't say I was expecting you, especially not after what happened today"

"I know. What a day, huh?"

"That's certainly one way to put it" Ozpin replied, as he placed the tablet down on the desk "Is there something I can help you with, Miss Pendragon?"

"There is, actually" Mordred replied, clearing her throat "I've come to give you my notice"

Ozpin blinked a few times as he stared at the girl in an attempt to process what she just said. Finally, after a few seconds of silence, the Headmaster replied, "I'm sorry. Your… notice?"

"Yup"

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"Certainly. I'm here to notify you that from today onwards, I'll no longer be a student of Beacon Academy"

"May I ask why?"

"What's there to say?" Mordred asked with a shrug "I mean, with my track record, it was bound to happen sooner or later. And with what just happened earlier today, that possibility just got moved up. That's why I think it would look better on my resume if it was written "She left Beacon of her own volition" instead of "Getting expelled from Beacon, don't you?"

"What resume?"

"You know, my resume. For when I'm out in the world trying to make some lien to put food on the table. From what I hear, being expelled doesn't exactly get you a lot of jobs these days"

"Hmmm… And what gave you the idea that you were getting expelled?"

"It's kind of obvious. I haven't exactly been model student around here. Add to that, I almost got my team leader killed. I bet ol' Goodwitch is just itching to get me kicked out, anyway, so I might as well get the drop on her"

"Hmmm… I will not lie that your expulsion from Beacon was considered" Ozpin said, eyeing the girl closely "But fortunately for you, we were convinced to instead let you stay here at Beacon"

"Huh? Who convinced you?"

"Why, your teammates, of course. Miss Belladona and Miss Schnee both pleaded to us to allow you to stay" Ozpin replied, a small smile on his face at Mordred's shocked expression.

"You're joking, right?! I mean, Belladon maybe but the Ice Queen? No way. In fact, she would probably donate a ton of lien to convince you to expel me" Mordred countered, her voice in disbelief.

"I'm afraid I am quite serious, Ms Pendragon" Ozpin replied once more "They were quite adamant that we do not expel you from this school"

"Are you serious? That means… I can stay?" Mordred asked.

"If that is your choice"

"But…. Red… What I did… She…" Mordred said, trailing off.

"Ah, yes. I visited her this evening. I told her about what I was planning to do and imagine my surprise when she, too, convinced me to cancel your expulsion" Ozpin said.

"She… She did? Why?" Mordred asked, shocked.

"I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that question for you"

"Oh… Okay…" Mordred said, turning around to leave before Ozpin spoke up once more.

"Oh, Ms Pendragon, that being said, you still have to face the consequences of your actions" Ozpin said, halting the blonde girl in her tracks "For the rest of the semester, you will be under house arrest. What this means is that, until this semester ends, you are not allowed to leave campus grounds unless it's for an emergence of you receive my express permission. Is that clear?"

"Yes" Mordred replied as rode the elevator to the ground floor.

 **[The next day, Beacon Infirmary]**

*knock knock*

"Come in" Ruby said as she gulped down the last bits of her milk.

"Hey there, Ruby" Mordred said as she stepped into the room.

"Mordred!" Ruby's face lit up the moment she saw her partner "What are you doing here? Aren't classes going on right now?"

"Eh, it's fine. I can afford to miss a few" Mordred replied with a shrug.

"But you've missed quite a few classes already" Ruby countered with a pout.

"Sure but I mean, what are they going to do? Give me more detention than I already have? At some point, that's just gonna be redundant" Mordred answered with a smirk.

"Heh… I suppose so"

"Listen, Ruby… About yesterday… I just wanna say…" Mordred said, hesitant due to unable to find the right words.

"It's fine, Mordred. It wasn't-"

"That's the point. It's not fine!" Mordred argued "You could've gotten killed. All because of me. All because I'm such a terrible partner"

"You're not a terrible partner, Mordred" Ruby replied.

"How could you even say that?! A good partner wouldn't have always gotten into so much crap with the teachers like that. If I was anything resembling a good partner, I wouldn't have let you get injured and be forced to spend a night at the infirmary like this" Mordred protested, a frustrated look on her face "A good partner would have been strong enough to look after your back"

"You are strong, Mordred. I mean, I didn't see the full fight between you and your sister but what I did see was amazing!" Ruby said in an attempt to cheer the blonde up.

"You think so?"

"Oh, definitely! Your skills with your sword were so cool! Clarent is pretty heavy so the fact that you could swing her like it was nothing is so awesome!"

"Heh… That is awesome, isn't it?" Mordred added with a scratch on her cheek.

"So awesome" Ruby added.

"Ruby! I just want to say…" Morder said, pausing for a moment before she bowed her head "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what happened yesterday and I'm sorry for being such a shit partner to you ever since the semester began. That's why, starting today, I hope we can restart our whole partnership from square one"

"Hmmm… Let me think about it" Ruby said, putting a finger on her chin before replying with a bright smile "Okay!"

"Then, allow me to start" Mordred said with a grin, extending a hand "Greetings, Ruby Rose. I'm Mordred Pendragon, your partner"

"And I'm Ruby Rose" Ruby replied, accepting the handshake with a small giggle "Nice to meet you, Mordred"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 5. Really hope you guys like this chapter. Personally, I'm not too satisfied with how I the first half of this chapter went. Felt a bit… off somehow. The rest of the chapter, though, I really loved writing. The scene between Weiss and Mordred was something I had planned for a while now so, here's hoping you guys and gals love it as much as I do.**

 **Also, thanks to user Kinaki747, Ren's team (LYFV) will now be called Team Leaf. All credit goes to Kinaki747.**

 **As always, fave and follow if you like what I'm doing. All good and bad reviews are welcome so, feel free.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	6. Chapter 6

"Ughhhhhhhh…" Mordred groaned as she stared at the door in front of her all the while muttering under her breath "Son of a bitch. Do I really have to do this?"

Eight days had passed since the events of Forever Fall and to say that the past week has been memorable would be a little bit of an understatement.

 **[Five days ago]**

" _Good morning, Team RWBM" Ozpin said in greeting as the four girls just got out of Professor Port's classroom._

" _Professor Ozpin! Good morning" Weiss replied with a small bow of her head, a gesture that Ruby hastily mimicked._

" _Good morning" Blake said with a small nod._

"' _Sup, old man" Mordred said, receiving an instant smack on the back of her head from Weiss._

" _Show some respect, fool! That's our headmaster you're addressing" Weiss hissed, earning a glare from the blonde._

" _It's quite alright, Miss Schnee" the Headmaster said, a chuckle escaping his lips at the girls' antics "I was here to see Ms Pendragon, after all"_

" _Hmm? Me?" Mordred asked, pointing at herself._

" _You idiot! What did you do this time?!" Weiss asked, her hands on her hips._

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa! Why do you immediately assume I've done something wrong?!" Mordred countered, stepping back a bit._

" _She's right, Weiss. I'm sure Mordred did nothing wrong. For all we know, Professor Ozpin's here to congratulate Mordred for something" Ruby added, earning a snicker from Blake._

" _You're quite right, Ms Rose. Mordred did nothing wrong this time" Ozpin said, earning a relieved sigh from Ruby and Mordred "It is in regards to the punishment the school has handed down on you"_

" _Urk… W-what about it?" Mordred asked, flinching a little._

" _Professor Oobleck has suggested for you to undergo a counselling session with him every Friday evening, after classes have ended for the day, for the rest of the semester" Ozpin answered, pausing for a moment before continuing "He believes that through these sessions, he will be able to help you with your problems, whatever that may be"_

" _Ehhhhhh?" Mordred groaned, clearly against the idea "Do I have to? I mean, you're his boss, right? Can't you just decline his request?"_

" _I could" Ozpin replied, taking a sip of his coffee – a long sip – before continuing "But I believe these sessions will benefit you, not just in the short term but, in the long run of things, as well"_

" _But why?" Mordred protested "I haven't done anything. At least, not in the past four days. Ruby, back me up here"_

" _Um-"_

" _Ruby wholeheartedly agrees to these sessions" Weiss said, covering her leader's mouth quickly "Thank you for informing us, Professor Ozpin. We'll be on our way now"_

" _Have a good day, girls" Ozpin said, a small smile on his face as Weiss and Mordred continued to argue while Blake silently read a book beside them as Ruby tried to desperately act as a peacekeeper in her team._

 **[Present]**

Mordred took a deep breath once more before knocking on the door in front of her.

"Come in" came the voice of the Professor from within the room "Ah, Miss Pendragon. I was wondering when you'd show up"

"Yeah, well… The old man didn't exactly give me a lot of options, did he? That and my team kept pestering me to go instead of skipping so, I really had no choice" Mordred said as she took in the interior of the professor's office. As the girl expected, it was quite messy with multiple stacks of paper littering the man's desks and floor not to mention all the books laying around. Thick books.

In front of the man's desk were two couches, one placed against the Professor's desk with the other placed opposite it, against the wall. Between the two couches was a wooden coffee table. Aside from that, Mordred noted the presence of a door at the back of the room, likely leading to the man's bedroom, kitchen, and shower.

"Please, have seat. We'll begin our session shortly" Oobleck said, as he scribbled on a piece of paper for a few more seconds before setting the pen down and, quite literally, entering his room and taking a seat on the couch in front of Mordred in one fluid and blurry motion.

"Would you like some tea? Coffee, maybe?" the man asked, gesturing towards two teapots and two cups that Mordred swore wasn't there a second ago.

"I'll take some coffee, if you don't mind" the girl replied, taking a cup offered to her before raising an eyebrow in question to the cup the man had poured for himself "Are you sure about that, Professor? From all the coffee you drink during classes, I'd say you've had enough to last anyone two lifetimes"

"Nonsense. One can never have too much, especially since it's essential for my work" the man replied, gesturing to the clutter in his room "Also, please address me as Doctor. I didn't work hard for nothing, my dear"

That last comment earned a snicker from Mordred, something that Oobleck noticed.

"Is something funny, Ms Pendragon?" Oobleck asked with a tilt of his head.

"It's just that… the sign outside says 'Doctor' but you're a Ph. D, not an M.D" the girl replied with a shrug.

"We are Doctors, in every sense of the word" Oobleck said, pausing to take a breath before continuing "I'm actually a Doctor in Archaeology _and_ Psychology"

"Yeah but, if someone's having a heart attack, I doubt the first thought that comes to mind is to call for someone with a Music History Ph. D" Mordred countered as she sipped on her coffee.

"A Ph. D is a _Doctorate_. It is literally _describing_ a Doctor-" The Professor stopped himself, realising that he had raised his voice. Taking a deep breath, he continued "But that is not the issue right now. We are here not to have this age old debate but to talk about your string of problems ever since the semester began"

"Ughhh… What's there to talk about, Doc?" Mordred asked, amused that she was able to rile the man up a bit but still annoyed at having to attend these sessions "I… screwed up. More than once. I get that. Isn't it enough that old man Ozpin is making me go through detention after detention _on top_ of being on house arrest?"

"Perhaps. Tell me, Ms Pendragon, do you have anyone to talk to in regards to your problems?" the Doctor asked, eyeing the girl curiously.

"No because I don't need to. I know what my problems are, don't need anyone prodding" the girl answered firmly.

"Keeping your feelings bottled up like that isn't a good way to live life"

"So, what, you expect me to just start telling you a sob story here? About how messed up my life was growing up?"

"No, not during this session, at least. But maybe I can convince you to open up to your teammates. After all, they are practically going to be your family for the next four years"

"Yeah, I don't see that happening"

Oobleck hummed, thinking for a moment before speaking, "Let's move on to another topic, then. I heard about what happened between you and Ms Xiao-Long at the infirmary last week. Have you spoken to her at all lately?"

"Nah. Not the best at reading social ques but I'm pretty sure she hates my guts" Mordred replied "Add to the fact that we haven't interacted at all – except for when Miss G calls us up for fights – can't say we're the best of friends right now"

 **[Six Days Ago]**

" _Hey Pendragon, we need to talk" Yang said, as she glared at Mordred as Team RWBM had just finished lunch and was leaving the cafeteria._

" _Yang, what's this about?" Ruby asked, as she worriedly looked between Mordred and Yang._

" _It's fine, Rubes. I just want to talk to your partner, that's all" Yang replied "I promise"_

" _Don't worry about it. You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up" Mordred said, receiving a nod in reply before following Yang to an empty classroom "So, what's up, Xiao-Long?"_

" _What's up?! What the fuck do you mean, 'What's up'?!" Yang growled as she slammed a nearby desk "I told you to stay away from my sister, didn't I?!"_

" _Hey, she's her own person. She can make her own decisions" Mordred replied with a shrug._

" _And look where that got her! She almost got killed because of you!" Yang replied, eyes flickering between lilac and red._

" _I know, alright? Don't you think I know that?"_

" _Oh, 'you know'. Well, great. Problem solved. Now I can sleep at night knowing that my sister's partner won't abandon her when shit hits the fan. Hurray for me and my dad"_

" _I'm sorry, alright? I never meant for anyone to get hurt that day" Mordred said as she stared at the ground "Especially not Ruby"_

" _Yeah, well, your apologies mean jack shit to me right now" Yang spat "Look Pendragon. I want you to listen and listen clearly: I don't like you. As a matter of fact, I hate you. Not just for what happened at Forever Fall but for how shit of a partner you're being to Ruby. Not only that, I also don't trust you. But, for whatever reason, Ruby seems to trust you and, I suppose, that's the only thing stopping me from bashing your face in"_

" _She does and I-"_

" _But break that trust and give my sister another near-death experience again, I can promise you that you won't just walk away with a broken face this time" Yang growled, eyes turning a dark shade of red before she left the classroom._

 **[Present]**

"Is that so?" Oobleck mused, a slight frown on his face as he stared at Mordred "Do you not see a time in the near future where the two of you are comrades?"

Mordred shrugged at the Doctor's question before answering, "Probably. I get why she hates my guts but until something happens that makes her think differently, we won't be getting along anytime soon"

"Well, have you thought about taking initiative at repairing your relationship with Miss Xiao-Long?"

"Not even in the slightest" Mordred replied "Besides, someone once told me that sometimes the best thing to do is nothing"

"Very well" Oobleck replied, content to leave the discussion at that point for the time being "And how is your relationship with your team since the events at Forever Fall? Have there been any developments?"

"Well, I wouldn't _exactly_ call them developments but…"

 **[Four Days Ago]**

 _Team RWBM had chosen to use their free period for the day to catch up on their homework and assignments before classes resumed. The team had decided to make use of Beacon's empty library and Ruby, figuring that her team would grow hungry, had decided to make a quick run to the cafeteria and picked up a small plate of cookies. It wasn't long after the young girl had returned when Weiss noticed a small mistake on Mordred's assignment._

" _Mordred, your answer to the third question is wrong" Weiss said, pointing to the words on the blonde's notebook "The answer is supposed to be the Battle of Nagashino, not the Battle of Waterloo"_

" _What's the difference?" Mordred complained with a sigh "They're still battles that were fought in the past, anyway"_

" _The difference is that Nagashino was fought during the Faunus War. During the battle, General Takeda of Atlas laid siege on one of the Faunus's strategic points, Nagashino Castle. The siege lasted for a few days before reinforcements in the form of General Nobunaga of the Faunus Army arrived. General Nobunaga, outnumbered as he was, then made clever use of his surrounding terrain to win against the superior Atlesian Army" Weiss answered "While Waterloo occurred during the Great War where-"_

" _Ah, I get, I get it!" Mordred grumbled, covering her ears and averting her eyes "Your answer is right, as always"_

" _Well, maybe if you paid any sort of attention during classes, you wouldn't have such trouble answering the questions" Weiss countered, as Blake took a piece of cookie from Ruby's plate._

" _It's not my fault the guy speaks so fast! You can barely make sense of what the man's saying, let alone be quick enough to write any of it down" Mordred argued._

" _Isn't that why Beacon has such a large collection of books? Instead of spending all of your free time on things like video games, maybe read up on your history for once" Weiss replied with a huff "After all, those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it and you're definitely one of those fools"_

" _Listen here you stuck-up br-"_

" _Mordred" Ruby hissed, cutting the girl off before she could continue. Mordred spared a glance towards her team leader who could only respond with a shake of her head._

 _Taking a deep breath, Mordred exhaled before speaking, "I'm sorry, Weiss"_

" _W-what?" Weiss asked, clearly surprised by the girl's sudden apology. Even Blake was startled by the girl's change in demeanour, evident by the fact that the girl started choking from the cookie she had earlier._

" _Blake! Are you okay?!" Ruby asked, as she handed the girl something to drink._

" _You were-" Mordred took a deeper breath this time before continuing "You were right and I was wrong. I-I'll try to do better… next time"_

" _O-oh… Okay… Apology… accepted, I guess?" Weiss answered, sending a weird look towards Mordred before she proceeded with her work. Mordred, on the other hand, spared a glance towards Ruby as the young leader gave Mordred a thumbs up. Mordred replied with her own thumbs up – albeit hesitantly – with an equally hesitant smile on her face._

" _W-what is happening?" Blake asked, eyes darting between Weiss and Mordred as she finally calmed down._

" _That, Blake, is the making of the greatest team that has ever graduated Beacon" Ruby replied, a beaming expression on her face._

"… _I don't like it…"_

 **[Present]**

"… so, yeah. I think that speaks to my willingness to be a better partner to Ruby and teammate to my team" Mordred said with a nod, as a satisfied look formed on her face.

"I… see. That certainly was a… step in the right direction" Oobleckk commented as he took another sip of coffee "I suppose progress is progress"

"You're right about that, Doc" Mordred replied, a proud smile on her face. From there, the conversations between the two eventually became about how her classes had been going, how her relationship was with the other students in her year, and the tasks the professors had been asking her help with. Eventually, Oobleck realized that their first session was almost finished.

"You know, Mordred, Ozpin informed me of your reaction the other day, of how you reacted when he compared you to your mother" the Doctor said, observing how the girl's expression had turned dark all of a sudden.

"Yeah? So? What of it?" Mordred asked, her voice laced with venom.

"I knew your mother, when I was a first-year at Haven. Of course, by then, she was a Senior" Oobleck continued, noting how the girl had clenched her fists "Would you like to talk about her?"

"What's there to say? You've seen the news, read the articles, heard the stories. Graduated top of her class, a 'once in a lifetime talent', one of the greatest that's ever graduated from Haven" Mordred said with a face of disgust "And now she's the Chairwoman of the Pendragon Conglomerate. Nothing short of spectacular"

"Your father, Uther, was a great man, to both humans and Faunus, alike. It was a crushing blow to us all when he passed"

"Yeah, well… That's something we don't have in common" Mordred replied, a deep scowl on her face.

Oobleck sighed at the girl's expression before noting the time, "Well, it appears our session is at an end, Ms Pendragon. I expect you here again next week. Same time, of course"

"Of course, Doc. Laters" the girl said, as she swiftly left the room.

 **[Later that night, downtown Vale]**

"Hey, hey, hey! Careful with that stuff or you'll blow us all up!" Roman shouted from a balcony above as he overlooked the White Fang grunts on the ground below "Damn animals will be the death of me someday"

"Hey boss, some more guys from the White Fang are here" a man in a black suit said from below.

"Bring 'em in, Johnny. I'll be down in a minute" Roman replied, grumbling under his breath as he entered his personal office behind him "Great… More of these filth. Like I need any more crap on my plate. Where's Neo when I need her?"

"Good evening, Roman" a voice suddenly said from behind Roman, causing the master thief to jump and squeal at the same time. Fortunately for his dignity, Roman managed to catch himself at the last moment.

"Who the hell are you?!" Roman asked, turning around swiftly before addressing the man that seemingly came out of nowhere.

"It seems you weren't informed of my arrival. Very well. Allow me to introduce myself" the man stood and it was just now that Roman saw that, besides being at least a head taller than himself, the man was covered in purple clothing, from his traditional Mistralian robe to his purple vest and on his back was what appeared to be his weapon, a katana and to say that it was a long weapon would be an understatement "My name is Sasaki Kojiro and the vixen saw fit to send me here to ensure that no more blunders were caused on your part"

"V-vixen? You mean Cinder?" Roman asked, the thief having regained his composure.

"That is correct. Therefore, you should treat me as if I was just a mere fly on the wall and carry on with your duties as instructed" Sasaki said as he wandered to the door "A message from the vixen herself: "Do live up to your reputation, Roman, because if you don't, there'll be no more meetings between us in the future"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap for chapter 6. I hope you guys like this one. Granted, nothing much happened here. More of a filler chapter than anything but it sets up some stuff going forward. Also, I hope to start focussing on another team starting next chapter, to liven the story up a bit.**

 **As always, fave and follow if you like the story. All types of reviews are always welcome so, feel free to tell me what you think.**

 **P.S: 50 points to anyone who can tell me where I got that Doctor vs PhD argument from.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	7. Chapter 7

"Chulainn, where are you going?! That wasn't the plan!" Jaune shouted, watching as his teammate broke off from the rest of JAPC and charged at the Boarbatusk alone.

"Heh heh… Don't worry about it, team leader! You guys deal with the overgrown monkey while I deal with this guy" Chulainn shouted over his shoulder, spear primed and ready.

"Damn it…" Jaune cursed, a frustrated sigh escaping his lips all the while not taking his eyes off of the Beringel in front of him. Thinking quickly, the young leader thought up an emergency backup plan, "Pyrrha, you go and support the idiot… Make sure he doesn't get killed"

"But what about you two?" the redhead asked as she took a step back.

"Arthuria and I will hold this thing off for as long as we can…" Jaune replied, receiving a nod from his partner "Can't say I like our chances with just the two of us so that's why, as soon as you're done helping Chulainn, we'll kill the Beringel. As a team."

"… Alright. I'll get back as soon as possible" Pyrrha replied, hesitance in her voice, as she shifted Milo into its Xiphos form before sprinting towards her partner.

Meanwhile, the Boarbatusk, insulted by the fact the blue coloured prey in front of her had the audacity to attack her on its own, transformed into a ball of bone spikes and armor plating before promptly charging at its prey.

Chulainn retaliated in kind, as the young Hunter in the making stood his ground, holding his spear in front of him with confidence as he took the charging ball of negativity straight on. Unfortunately for the young student, the force from the Grimm was too much as his defence quickly broke and was effortlessly tossed aside.

"Ugh… Damn overgrown pig…" Chulainn grunted as he propped himself up with his spear. The boy was just about to jump into the fray once more before his partner suddenly appeared in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pyrrha asked, with her back turned towards the Grimm and her hands on her hips as she glared down at the boy.

"Well, before you interrupted me, I was doing just fine, actually" the boy answered back as he got back on his feet.

"Just fine, huh? This is what you call just fine?" Pyrrha asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked the boy up and down.

"Relax, Nikos. I got this" Chulainn replied once more as he tried to push past Beacon's resident champion.

"No, you don't. You need to slow down" Pyrrha said, stopping the boy in his tracks "Chulainn, like it or not, you're going to need help to take this Grimm down. So, you can either try to take it on by yourself and get tossed aside again _or_ you could just accept my help and kill this thing together. What do you say?"

Chulainn stared at Pyrrha's outstretched hand for a few seconds before grumbling to himself, "Fine. Anyone ever tell you that you nag a lot?"

"Only you, Chulainn. Only you" the redhead replied as the two students stood side by side as they faced their enemy "So, what's the plan?"

Chulainn replied with a nonchalant shrug, "You tell me. You're the smart one in this partnership of ours. Really, my plan was to just hit it until it died"

"Are you serious? You know what, don't answer that" the champion replied as she took in her surroundings. After a few seconds, the girl found what she was looking for before nodding, "Alright, Chulainn. I have a plan. You go right, I go left. It'll take too long to explain what I'm going to do so just get your spear ready, alright?"

"Ready for what?" the boy asked, his body already turned slightly to the right.

"No time to explain. Here it comes!" Pyrrha shouted, as she rolled to the right, dodging the giant ball of negativity that was headed their way. Placing her shield in her back, the redhead then shifted her weapon into its rifle form and began shooting at the Grimm's backside in an effort to gain its attention. Needless to say, the girl's bullets barely scratched the Boarbatusk's thick armour plating.

"Disappointing but not unexpected" Pyrrha sighed to herself as she felt her back hitting the giant stone boulder she spotted a few seconds ago. Spotting her partner up in the trees, the redhead then started putting her plan into motion as she fired a few more shots at the Grimm's back before finally gaining its attention.

The Grimm, annoyed at the teen's futile attempts at damaging him, immediately transformed into a giant spiked ball and began rolling towards Pyrrha.

Thinking quickly, Pyrrha leapt to the side as the Grimm crashed into the boulder, disorienting it. Seeing her chance, the redhead gained some distance from the Boarbatusk before she impaled her spear into the ground as hard as she could as the teen gripped her shield in front of her tightly. Taking a deep breath, the two time champion from Mistral leapt on her spear with both legs before using her semblance to proper herself towards the disoriented Grimm in front of her with the speed of a bullet.

Before the Grimm even realized what happened, it was already sprawled on the ground, helpless as it tried to get back on its feet.

"Chulainn, now!" Pyrrha shouted.

"Heh… Don't need to tell me twice" the boy said aloud as he leapt high into the air, eventually reaching a height that was directly above the downed Boarbatusk. Gripping his spear tightly in his hand, the boy hurled it at the Grimm a moment later, killing it in an instant as the weapon pierced its unprotected belly.

"Phew… Gotta say, that was pretty crazy, Nikos. You never cease to amaze me, you know that?" Chulainn said as he plucked his spear from the ground.

"If you hadn't run off on your own like you did, we could have gone with a better plan" Pyrrha replied.

"Oh, come on. Even you have to admit that what you did was pretty awesome. Come on, up high" the boy said, his hand raised as he waited for his partner to give him a high five. Pyrrha simply gave him a deadpan look before she started making her way back to Jaune and Arthuria, "What, you're just gonna leave me hanging? That's cold, Nikos, even for you"

"Let's go. From the sound of it, Jaune and Arthuria aren't done with their fight" was Pyrrha's response.

"Boo" the boy replied with a thumbs down as the two teens hurriedly made their way to the other half of their team.

 **[/]**

"Jaune, look out!" Arthuria shouted. Unfortunately for the young blonde, the warning came too late and he was forced to block the incoming strike from the Berringel instead of dodging it. As a consequence, the strike sent Jaune flying through the forest a few feet before he forced himself to come to a halt as he stabbed his sword into the ground.

"Jaune!" Arthuria shouted once more as the Beringel turned its attention to her now. Letting out a menacing roar, the Grimm leapt high into the air. Seeing the imminent danger that was to come, Arthuria quickly ran away from the area of effect and not a minute too soon as, a moment later, the Grimm plummeted into the ground with the force of a meteor.

Seizing the opportunity, Arthuria immediately went in for the attack as she hacked and slashed at the Beringel's body. The girl's actions ultimately proved futile as the Grimm simply found them annoying and retaliated with a swift swipe. Unfortunately for it, Arthuria reacted quickly and, instead of continuing her futile attempts at attack, leapt back to gain some distance between herself and the Grimm. No sooner had she done so, her team leader had joined her.

"Man, that thing hits like a truck" Jaune said as he massaged his shoulder.

"Jaune! How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Arthuria asked, concern in her voice though not once did she take her eyes off of the Beringel in front of them.

"A bit of bruising here and there but I'll live and that's what's-"

"Oh, man… You look like you've seen better days, team leader" came the sudden interruption from Chulainn who immediately entered into a battle stance beside him.

"Oh good… Chulainn… You're still alive" Jaune replied as he readied his sword and shield as they were joined by their fourth team member.

"Jaune, are you okay?" Pyrrha asked, as she looked over her team leader with a concerned look.

"I'll be fine, Pyrrha. What we _should_ be concerned about is the immediate threat in front of us" Jaune responded, as the Beringel seemed to be glaring at all four of them.

"Alright. So, what's the plan?" Arthuria asked.

"It's simple. We strike hard and we strike fast. Run and gun. Don't stay in one spot because once he hits you, a large chunk of your Aura will go down" Jaune answered.

"That's it? Even I could have come up with something like that" Chulainn retorted.

"Sometimes the simplest plan is the best plan" Jaune replied with a shrug "Alright. So, when I give the word, everyone scatters but remember to work as a team. That's the only way I can see us getting through this thing. Got it?"

As soon as his three team members replied with a nod, the Berringel in front of them immediately came charging in, as if it was politely giving the four Beacon students time to strategize. For some reason, it had chosen Jaune as its first target.

Being much more prepared this time, Jaune focussed all his Aura into his defence as he blocked the Grimm's incoming strikes. Despite his best efforts, Jaune still buckled under the Berringel's relentless assault and his saving grace came not a moment later as Pyrrha and Arthuria appeared from behind the Grimm, the girls delivering a devastating volley of attacks on the beast's relatively unprotected back.

Roaring in pain, the Berringel immediately switched its attention from Jaune to the two girls behind it only to find nobody there as both Pyrrha and Arthuria had quickly fled the moment the Grimm let out its pain filled roar. Turning around to resume its assault on Jaune, the Grimm was surprised to see that the young team leader had also disappeared.

Seeing the Grimm in a state of confusion, Chulainn immediately pounced into action, as he delivered a volley of attacks of his own on the Berringel's legs in an attempt to cripple the Grimm's movements. Picking up on what the boy was about to do, Jaune followed suit as he delivered heavy blows on the Grimm's legs, staggering the beast.

Not willing to give the Berringel any time to recover, Pyrrha and Arthuria joined in on the assault as they attacked the Grimm from the front with Pyrrha going after the Grimm's arms and Arthuria going after its head.

Heavily armoured the Grimm may be, the relentless assault from Team JACP was too much for it to handle and sooner rather than later, the Grimm was on its knees before its life was snuff out with a quick decapitation courtesy of the leader of Team JACP.

"Whew… Admittedly, that could have gone better" Chulainn retorted after the Berringel's body started to disintegrate.

"You're right, Chulainn. It _could_ have gotten better" Arthuria exclaimed, sending a not-so-subtle glare at the blue haired boy.

"What are you glaring at me for?"

"The fact that you even have to ask that is incredibly annoying" Arthuria replied as Team JACP started to leave the Emerald Forest.

"Hah… You're too uptight, Arthuria. You need to loosen up a little" was Chulainn's response as he rubbed Arthuria's head before the girl promptly swatted the boy's hand away.

"Alright, alright you two. That's enough. We're just hungry, that's all" Jaune said as he put himself between his two team members "Let's go to the cafeteria and talk about what just happened, okay?"

 **[Beacon Cafeteria]**

"That's why I'm telling you, you can't just run off on your own like. We had a plan. That's what teams are for" Arthuria argued as she took another bite of her burger.

"I still don't get why you guys are so bent out of shape about this. We killed the Boarbatusk _and_ Berringel without any major problems, right?" Chulainn said, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"Killing them wasn't the point. The point of today's exercise was so that we could get better. As a team. We can't do that if you're just going to abandon the idea of teamwork whenever it suits you"

"I wasn't abandoning the idea. All I did was leave the gorilla to you three while I took care of the boar. It's not like I wasn't capable of doing it, anyway" Chulainn responded "Aren't you underestimating me too much here?"

"Look, Chulainn…" Jaune said, cutting his partner off before their discussion could get any more heated "Nobody on this team is underestimating you. We all know you're a capable fighter. You're certainly much better at it than I am but if we had worked as a team, we could have finished the two Grimm off much more effectively _and_ efficiently"

"I agree with Jaune" Pyrrha continued "You can't keep on doing these reckless things by yourself anymore, Chulainn"

"Hmph… You agree with him, huh? Of course you do. Why am I not surprised" Chulainn spat as he got up from his seat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pyrrha asked only to be met with a sneer from her partner.

"I'll see you guys later" the boy replied, ignoring the redhead's question.

"Where are you going?" Arthuria asked.

"To get some air or what, is that something we should do as a team, too?"

 **[Later That Evening]**

" _Setanta, I'm sending you to Beacon" his master told him on the day of his sixteenth birthday._

" _Ehhhh? Why? I don't want to study with a bunch of losers" the young boy whined._

" _Why do you call them losers?"_

" _Because… only losers go to school to learn useless things like math and history. I mean, seriously, what's the point of all that, anyway?"_

" _Hmmm… That may be but Beacon is also a place to train the next generation of Hunters. Who knows, you might learn a thing or two from them that I can't teach you?"_

" _But I wanna just learn from you, master!" the boy protested before the woman before him ruffled his hair._

" _Foolish boy. There's only so much I can teach you" said the woman with a small smile before it disappeared a moment later "And besides, I have other tasks I need to attend to. Tasks that are too dangerous for me to bring you along"_

" _But I've gotten stronger. I know I have!" the boy protested once more._

" _Have you now? Very well. If you can beat me by the end of the week, I'll not send you to Beacon, then" the woman replied._

" _You mean it? Alright. Let's spar, Master. I'm good to go now!" the young boy replied eagerly as he and his master approached a nearby clearing_

 **[/]**

Chulainn opened his eyes to a setting evening sun, annoyed at the dream he was just having. Before he could think any further on what having that dream meant, the door to the common area opened as four boys entered the room.

"Hm? Oh, Chulainn… It's just you" Cardin Winchester said.

"Winchester" Chulainn replied in greeting before noticing the casual clothes he and his team were wearing "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Sky here found a pretty cool place to hang out. He says that students from normal universities usually go there for the weekend to party" the team leader replied.

"Hmmm… Sounds fun" Chulainn replied absent-mindedly.

"You wanna come with?" Cardin asked, earning a raised eyebrow from the blue haired boy.

Taking a few seconds to contemplate his plans for the rest of the night – of which there aren't any – Chulainn shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

"You're not going dressed like that, are you?" Russell asked as Chulainn looked down to his dirt and sweat covered outfit.

"Right. Give me a few minutes to get ready. I'll meet you guys at the Bullhead docks" Chulainn said, as he left for his dorm.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 7. Honestly, I'm a bit excited for this chapter since I decided to shift focus away from Ruby and friends.**

 **Here we see a bit of action from Team JACP. Is that trouble I see brewing? Well, we'll just have to find out next time, then.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	8. Chapter 8

Yang roared as she launched herself at Mordred, her fist reared back as she delivered as she delivered a meteoric punch aimed at her opponent's head. Instead of dodging the attack, Mordred instead blocked it with the flat of her blade. Alas, the force of the blow proved just a tad too strong for the girl as she was sent skidding back a few feet.

Not willing to give the girl any time whatsoever to recover, Yang continued her onslaught as she quickly broke through Mordred's guard. Yang then followed up by delivering a quick jab to the girl's stomach before finishing with a left hook to the Mordred's armoured head.

The relentless assault by the blonde brawler forced Mordred to fall back as she jumped away from her opponent in order to regain her surroundings. Not willing to let her catch a breath, Yang covered the distance quickly before she resumed her previous barrage of attacks.

Mordred, having learned her lesson, dodged the girl's attack by rolling to the side before she swept the brawler off of her feet with a quick swipe of her sword, causing the blonde to fall flat on her back. Seizing her opportunity, Mordred brought her sword down to deliver a devastating blow to Yang's head.

Reacting quickly, Yang immediately brought her gauntlets up to block the incoming attack, mere seconds before it could connect. What followed was a few seconds of the two blondes struggling to overpower the other. This continued on for the better part of a minute before the buzzer in the arena sounded, signalling the end of the match.

"That's enough. The match is over" came the voice of Beacon's resident combat professor, Ms Goodwitch. Not wanting to cross the professor lest they feel her wrath, the two girls immediately got up and stood at opposite sides of the ring "Now, I'm not sure what kind of problems are brewing between the two of you and, honestly, I couldn't care less. If either of you ever puts on such a display that is unbefitting of future Huntresses, your next opponent shall be _me_ "

The eyes of both girls widened in abject terror at the thought as the two of them nodded vigorously in agreement.

"For the past month, I have been imparting advices to the both of you on how to better your fighting style yet still you stubbornly refuse to heed them. Ms Pendragon, time and time again I have told you not to tank attacks with your armour so recklessly for one day, there _will_ be an opponent who can bypass your defences with one swift strike" Glynda said, pausing for a moment as she shifted her attention towards Yang "As for you, Ms Xiao-Long, you should learn to control your emotions, not the other way around. Additionally, you should not over rely on your Semblance, lest it be your downfall"

"The winner is Yang Xiao-Long with her Aura at 35 to Mordred Pendragon's Aura at 30. However, I will record this as a loss for the both of you" The girls nodded once more at Glynda's words before the professor dismissed them with a wave of her hand, "The two of you have my permission to leave the class and visit the school nurse if you so wish"

 **[Team LYFV's Dorm]**

Yang sighed as she covered her head with her pillow in an attempt to hide her frustration.

"Don't worry about it, Yang. I'm sure you'll do better next time" Nora said from the other side of the room "Isn't that right, partner?"

"Mmhmm" Fran replied with a nod.

"Thanks, guys, but I'm not really bothered by what Goodwitch said. It's just..." Yang paused for a moment as she failed to find the right words before letting out a frustrated groan "Gods, that bitch just pisses me off _so much_ "

Ren and Nora shared a worried glance at that before the boy spoke up, "Why? Did something happen between the two of you again?"

"If something did, legs will be broken" Nora continued, a confident smile on her face.

"No, it's just… I just can't get along with her. Or, more like, I _don't want_ to get along with that jackass" Yang replied, her fists clenching slightly.

"I have an idea!" Nora piped up suddenly, a bright cheerful smile on her face "The weekend's just started so why don't we all go out tonight? As a team. It'll be a good team bonding exercise"

"Really? Aren't you guys exhausted?" Yang asked, a look of uncertainty painted on her face.

"Sure, why not? It's not like we have anything better to do, anyway" Nora replied, before looking towards her partner "Do you, Fran?"

"I mean, we do have those readings for Prof- Doctor Oobleck's class but I suppose we can do it over the weekend" the pink haired girl replied.

"And that's why I chose you as my partner" Nora said with a quick high-five before turning her attention towards her team leader "Renny?"

"I'm pretty sure you'll refuse my refusal, Nora" the stoic boy replied, as he glanced up from the homework in front of him.

"That's the spirit" Nora said before looking at the blonde of Team LYVF "So, what do you say, Yang? Are you in or are you in?"

"Eh, sure. Why not? What's the worst that could happen, right?"

 **[Later that night]**

"Oh, boy… Who would have thought that was how our night was going to go, huh?" Nora said, not the least bit fazed by the fact that she and her team were currently locked up in a jail cell and that her clothes were scorched in a few places. Not to mention the fact that her hair was also in a terrible mess.

"Nora, you understand that this happened because of you, right?" Yang asked, her head in her hands as her own attire for the night fared just as well as the gingers' sitting beside her "Ughh… I can't believe this is happening all over again!"

"Cheer up, Yang. At least we're all in this together. Besides, I was only helping Fran out. I mean, did you see how that guy was all over her?" Nora countered as she clenched her fist at the memory "I was only being a good partner"

"Did you really have to blow up the entrance to the club, though? Don't you think that's a tad bit much?" Ren asked, who was currently sitting on the opposite side of the jail cell. His own clothes looked to have suffered the least compared the two girls in front of him but that wasn't saying much, seeing as how his jeans had burn marks on them while his shirt had a few bullet holes plastered all over.

"Don't start a fight you can't finish, am I right?" Nora replied with a toothy grin "And besides, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one on a rampage earlier. Unless I was seeing things, I'm pretty sure Yang's hair was on fire as she destroyed _at least_ three tables. Also, don't think I missed the fact that you were knocking guys left and right back there, Ren"

"Yeah, well… I wasn't going to let them hurt my team, was I?" Yang answered, failing to hide the grin that appeared on her face "Oh, Gods. What if Dad hears about this? After the last time this happened, he's definitely going to kill me for this"

"Speaking of dead, where's Fran? It's been half an hour since they've taken her in for questioning" Nora wondered aloud before she sprung up from her seat "Oh, no! You don't think they're torturing her, do you?! Maybe they're waterboarding her for information! Ren! We have to break out of here! My partner's in danger!"

"Nora, stop!" Ren replied as he physically held the ginger back from bending the bars of their cell "I'm sure Fran is fine. They're probably just asking her some routine questions"

"Yeah but, for thirty minutes? I swear, if they do something to my partner, this whole place is going down"

"Nora, relax. I'm sure she'll be her any minute-" Yang was cut off by a door opening as a police officer stepped through followed quickly by Frankenstein. The girl's own clothes had definitely seen better nights, as evidenced from the fact that her pink jacket were torn in a couple of places "There, see? She's fine. Absolutely nothing to worry about"

"Umm… I wouldn't… say that…" Fran replied, not daring to look any of her teammates' gaze.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked before the answer stepped through the door not a moment later. An answer that caused all three residents of the cell to become as pale as a ghost.

"P-Professor Goodwitch!" Yang squeaked, as she, Nora, and Ren stood up immediately. Nervous laughter escaped the blonde's lips before she spoke, "W-what a coincidence to meet you-"

Whatever the young student was about the say was silenced with a crack of the Vice Headmistress's riding crop as all four members of Team LYFV flinched in surprise.

"Good evening, Team Leaf. I trust you all had an eventful evening?" the woman asked as she scanned each of the students standing in front of her as not a single one even noticed that they were holding their breath.

"W-well, you could-" Nora started but, like Yang before her, was silenced with a crack of her riding crop.

"That question was rhetorical, Ms Valkyrie" the professor stated, her gaze as cold as the frozen tundra of Atlas. A few moments of silence passed before she requested the officer present to open the door to their jail cells. After saying her thanks, Beacon's Deputy Headmistress began leading the four students back to the Bullhead Docks.

"Nothing else to say?" the woman asked them as they took their seats in the Bullhead, her cold gaze unwavering "Good. I expect not. It is late. _Very_ late. When we get back, you are to return to your dorms immediately. I will think up appropriate punishments for each and every one of you tomorrow. Is that understood?"

"U-ummm… Was that question rheto-" Nora attempted to ask but thought better of it when the professor turned her murderous glare onto the girl "I- I mean, yes ma'am!"

The ginger's actions were mirrored by the rest of her team as the rest of the ride back to Beacon was done in tense and fearful silence.

 **[The Next Day, Evening]**

Dragging herself back to her dorm after the day's events, Yang practically melted into her bed due to pure exhaustion. The girl was so tired from being dragged around by Oobleck the whole day to help the man with his research that she didn't even notice the presence of two of her teammates on the other side of the room, both looking as well as she felt at the moment.

"Oh, good… You finally noticed us" her team leader said in a calm manner as he was sprawled all over his own bed "I was beginning to think you were just going to pass out"

"How are… you… not dead?" Yang managed to eke out with the last bits of her strength.

"On the contrary, I do believe that my body is in a comatose state right now. A side-effect, I assume, of spending the whole day with Professor Port to catch live Grimm. I don't think my mind has caught on yet as to how my body is feeling" the boy replied in his usual calm voice "In fact, it's taking everything I have to hold this conversation with you"

"Uh-huh… What about her?" Yang asked, referring to the shivering ball of fear in the corner of the room with a striking resemblance to her ginger teammate.

"Poor Nora. She suffered the worst of us, I'm afraid" Ren said with a shake of the head as he stared lifelessly at the ceiling above "She was tasked with assisting Professor Goodwitch and her paperwork for the day"

"Doesn't sound… too bad… to me" Yang replied.

"I apologize. That was my mistake. What I meant to say was, Professor Goodwitch and her _endless mountains_ of paperwork"

"Yeah, but-"

" _Mountains,_ Yang. Endless. Mountains"

Yang stared at her team leader for a moment before turning her attention towards Nora.

"Gotta s-stamp this. Gotta p-print that. G-gotta make a c-copy of this…." Nora mumbled to herself, seemingly unaware of her surroundings "Yes, Ms Goodwitch! I'm sorry, Ms Goodwitch! That's the wrong font size, Nora! Not Calibri, Nora! Use Times New Roman, Nora!"

"…" Speechless, Yang turned her attention back towards her team leader who only responded with a sympathetic look and a nod.

"I fear the poor girl may never be the same ever again"

"What about Fran? What did she do today?" Yang asked, only just now noticing the girl's absence.

"I don't know. Last I saw her was the same as you: This morning when she went off with Professor Peach"

"Well, whatever she's going through, I hope it's not as bad as us"

 **[A Few Hours Ago, Professor Peach's Office]**

" _Umm… Professor Peach?" Fran asked as she entered the woman's office, a broom in hand._

" _Yes, dear?" the woman asked, sat behind her desk and with a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits in front of her._

" _I… finished sweeping your lab"_

" _Wonderful. Thank you so much for your help, Frankenstein" the professor replied with a bright smile before she returned her attention to the plate of biscuits "You can go back to your dorm now"_

" _Umm… Professor?" the girl asked with a raised hand._

" _Yes, dear? Anything I can help you with?" the professor asked "Also, you need not bother raising your hand. It's not like we're in a classroom"_

" _Right" Fran said before immediately lowering her hand "Umm… Is that… all you need me to do today?"_

" _Hmm? What do you mean?" the old woman asked with a confused expression and a tilt of her head._

" _W-well, I mean… All you've had me do all day is arrange your documents, sweep the floors of your office and your lab, and clean your shelves"_

" _Yes, I suppose I did"_

" _I-it's just that… Professor Goodwitch told us that she was going to think up appropriate punishments for my team and I"_

" _Oh, I'm sure she did" the woman replied, an amused smile on her face "Honestly, I don't know why you kids are so afraid of her. In all my years of teaching in Beacon – which is a very long time, mind you – Glynda Goodwitch must be the nicest person I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. As for your "punishments", I do believe you've helped me a lot today, dear Frankenstein. Glynda has been telling me that I needed to clean up around the lab as of late"_

" _U-umm… Are you sure, Professor Peach?"_

" _Oh, absolutely! So, off you go. I'm sure a young girl like you has better things to do than spend the day with an old hag like me" the woman answered with a small smile as Fran complied, albeit reluctantly._

" _W-well, okay… If you say so, Professor" the girl replied as the professor sent her off with a small wave._

 **[Present]**

" _Thanks to Professor Peach letting me go early, I at least time to perform maintenance on Bridal Chest"_ Fran thought to herself as she tinkered with her weapon's spherical orb. She was currently the only one in Beacon's forge as all the other students had called it quits for the day " _I wonder how Nora and the others are doing. It's nearly time for dinner so they're probably done for the day. Speaking of dinner, I should probably get some soon"_

Putting thoughts of food aside for the moment, the young teen continued her work on her weapon until she was so engrossed in it, she failed to notice that another student had entered Beacon's forge.

"Hey, not that it's any of my business but, you should probably oil that thing" a voice suddenly said from behind Fran, startling her a little bit. Turning around, she was surprised to see Mordred standing there with her jacket, crop top and jean shorts along with her claymore propped on her shoulder.

"Uh… What?" Fran blurted out, still slightly surprised at the girl's sudden appearance.

"Your weapon. It's a mecha-shift weapon, right? You've been doing a lot of work on it but I didn't really see you oiling it" the blonde replied, a neutral expression on her face "If it has as many parts to make it work as I think it does, my suggestion might do you some good"

Before Fran could even respond, Mordred then went back to working on her helmet and weapon.

"I… was going to but thanks for the suggestion" Fran said as Mordred replied with a simple wave of the hand. The two then continued working on their respective weapons for a few more minutes before Fran decided that she was satisfied with her results. Wiping the sweat off her brow, the girl breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Bridal Chest in front of her.

"Hmmm… That's a pretty cool mace you got there. But don't these things usually have, you know, spikes or at least a sharp edge to kill things with?" Mordred said, seemingly appearing from thin air beside her as she observed the weapon on the table in front of her. Her own weapon was leaning off to the side.

"You're right. And it does. Watch" Fran said as she picked Bridal Chest up from the table. Twisting the middle of her weapon's handle, several spikes suddenly protruded from her weapon's orb "There, see? Perfect for killing Grimm"

Mordred whistled in amazement, slightly impressed at the sight, "That's pretty cool. Got a name for the beauty?"

"Bridal Chest: A Maiden's Chastity. Bridal Chest for short" Fran answered, a proud smile on her face.

Mordred snickered in response, "You serious? That's a terrible name for a weapon"

"What about yours? What's your sword called?" Fran challenged with a small frown on her face, insulted at how Mordred had mocked her creation.

"Not that it's any of your business but this beauty right here" Mordred said as she picked her weapon up "is the Radiant and Brilliant Royal Sword, Clarent"

"Clarent?" Fran asked, amused at the name.

"Go ahead, I've heard all sorts of jokes about it"

"I never said it was funny" Fran replied, trying to hide the small grin creeping up her face. Right at that moment, both of the girl's stomachs started to growl.

"You wanna grab some dinner?" Mordred asked.

Fran thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "Sure"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on Chapter 8, loyal readers. Honestly, I liked how this turned out. I hope you guys and girls like it as much as I do. This chapter, we're turning our focus to Team LYFV (Leaf).**

 **Poor Yang and Friends (except Fran). Especially Nora. Having to face the wrath of Glynda that way, I shudder at the thought *shudders*. Also, what's this I see at the end? A budding friendship? Only time will tell, I suppose.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	9. Chapter 9

"Raaarghhh!" Fran shouted, as she slammed her mace down at her opponent in front of her. Mordred just barely had enough time to dodge the pink haired girl's attack as she jumped a few meters back. A good thing, too, since the ground where she was just standing a few moments ago exploded into a million tiny pieces.

" _Phew… Note to self, do not get a direct hit from-"_ Mordred's train of thought was suddenly halted as she crashed into a tree behind her. A Schnee-shaped tree, that is.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, you buffoon!" Weiss shouted.

"Me?! Why don't you watch where you're shooting those stupid drawings of yours!" Mordred shouted back, turning around to face the heiress "Do you know how many times I was almost hit by one of your stupid attacks?!"

"One, they're not drawings, they're glyphs! And two, if you had bothered to plan and strategize like we discussed instead of charging in like a rampaging gorilla, we wouldn't be having these problems!" Weiss countered and by that point, the two girls had forgotten completely about the two-on-two sparring match they were just in a few seconds ago.

"If we had followed _your_ way of doing things, we'd never get any offence in, just defending like a coward!" Mordred said, as she poked a finger at Weiss's chest.

"It's better than charging blindly into a fight!" Weiss shouted once more, swatting the blonde's finger away.

"Ummm… Should we do something?" Fran asked, as she held her mace close to her chest, watching the two girls have a screaming match a short distance away

"We should, Fran. We should" Blake replied, as a sly grin crept onto her face, as she appeared beside Fran "As a matter of fact, I believe you should do the honours of dealing the winning blow, seeing as our enemy is basically ignoring us"

"Are you sure? That sounds pretty… underhanded…" Fran said, hesitance in her words.

"Think of it as teaching the two idiots over there an important lesson" Blake replied, a small smile on her lips "A _very_ important lesson"

"A-and what lesson is that?"

"That you should _never_ let your guard down in a fight"

"W-well, I suppose if you put it that way…" Fran muttered to herself as she stared at the two bickering girls "Then it's alright"

"That's the spirit" Blake replied, patting the girl in the back "Whenever you're ready, Fran. At the rate those two are going, you have all day"

"Right" Fran nodded, as she gathered the necessary electricity from the air around her. After the girl was finished with her preparations, she nodded at Blake one more time before charging towards Mordred and Weiss.

"You realize that they're probably going to kill you for this, right?" Ruby asked, as the young team leader walked up to Blake, the two girls staring as Fran lifted her mace up high before bringing it down with full force.

"Probably. But that's what they get for fighting like an old married couple all the time" Blake replied with a shrug as the Emerald Forest reverberated with the screams of Mordred and Weiss as Fran dropped a literal lighting strike on the two girls.

 **[/]**

"Is it just me or do these things have a faint taste of metal in them?" Mordred asked as she stared at the donut in her hand. As a result of Fran's earlier "surprise" attack, the girl's armour was littered with scorch marks.

"I'm pretty sure… it's just you…" Weiss answered, herself still twitching from Fran's earlier attack, as she focused on her own food. Weiss's own outfit fared just as well as her teammates, signs of battle evident on every inch of her clothing.

"Don't worry about it, you two" Ruby replied, as she took a bite out of a cookie "Take this as an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong and how you can turn it around"

"What went _wrong_ was that this blonde gorilla just loves doing things on her own!" Weiss answered with a scowl.

"Well, things wouldn't have went wrong if-"

"Alright, alright. That's enough" Ruby said aloud immediately, preventing the two girls from further escalating the issue "Today was pretty productive in terms of training so, I think it's best if we just let bygones be bygones and enjoy the rest of the day, don't you think?"

Both girls in question huffed as they looked away from each other, both of them feeling frustrated but willing to put those feelings aside for the moment.

"You know, when we first started training together a few weeks ago, I didn't quite get it but now I think I do" Fran whispered to Blake, who was minding her own business, a tuna sandwich in hand.

"Hmm?"

"Those two actually get along quite well, don't they?" Fran replied.

"You think so?" Blake asked, quirking an eyebrow as Mordred and Weiss continued sending death glares at each other even with Ruby's attempt at peace.

"Mmhmm" Fran nodded "If they truly hated each other, I'm sure things would be much worse than they are"

"That's a funny way to look at the situation, to be honest" Blake replied.

"Let's change the subject, alright?" Ruby suggested as she turned her attention towards Fran "Fran, how are things going on with your team? Are you guys still in detention from what happened two weeks ago?"

"The other three are. Every time I get back to the dorm, they're either out cold or, in Nora's case, going insane" Fran answered.

"What about you? Don't you have your own set of punishments?"

"Well, that's what I thought at first but all Professor Peach ever asks me to do is clean up around her lab and organize her things, that's all" Fran replied "Compared to the rest of my team and from what they've told me, I'm pretty lucky, actually"

"Well, at least this helps to keep Yang away from trouble" Ruby wondered aloud "Saying dad was angry when Beacon informed him Yang was in another bar fight would be an understatement. It's a good thing Uncle Qrow managed to calm him down somewhat"

"Speaking of, what's your sister's deal, anyway?" Mordred asked all of a sudden.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I _mean_ , what's her beef with me? As far as I know, I haven't done anything to her lately. Hell, I haven't even spoken to her at all and yet, every time we're matched against each other during Goodwitch's class, she just goes all out. What's up with that?"

"I can't say I understand it all too well, either" Fran replied "If anything, I'd have expected you to have an answer to that question"

"I'm amazing, not a genius" Both Blake and Weiss immediately snorted in response to how highly Mordred thought of herself "Even I have a hard time figuring out someone like her"

"Give her some time, Mordred. Yang's stubborn, I can tell you that much, but she'll come around, eventually. And when she does, there'll be nobody better you would want to watch your back when push comes to shove" Ruby added "You can be sure of that"

"Well, I'll take your word for it, Red" Mordred replied.

"So, what are you guys doing for the weekend? Any plans?" Fran asked.

"Well, Weiss suggested going for a walk around town in an effort to "strengthen bonds between teammates" but we all know it's to scout out potential participants for the upcoming Vytal Festival" Blake answered, as she pointed at Weiss.

"W-what a ridiculous accusation. I would never stop towards something so low and diabolical" Weiss huffed.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like you at all, Weiss" Mordred replied lazily.

"You be quiet. Nobody asked you" Weiss fired back "It's not like I'm one of those diabolical White Fang fools or anything.

Blake bristled slightly at that comment, an act that nobody around her seemed to notice. Before Blake could say anything, however, her team leader spoke up first.

"Regardless, it's getting late. We should probably head back now if we want to get up early to "not spy" on other people tomorrow" Ruby said with a snicker.

"Not you, too, Ruby!" Weiss countered "I told you, it's to strengthen our ties as teammates!"

 **[The next day, morning]**

"What are we doing here again?" Mordred managed to groan out as the four girls walked the streets of Vale that morning.

"To 'strengthen our bonds as teammates', is what I'm told" Blake replied with air quotes as Mordred responded with a scoff.

"Thank you, Blake" Weiss replied with a nod, either missing the sarcasm or ignoring it entirely "In fact, I do believe we can do that most efficiently near the docks"

"Where other competitors for the Vytal Festival will be arriving?" Mordred asked with a deadpan look.

"Oh, is that where they'll be? My, what a fortunate coincidence" Weiss responded with a sly and a not-so subtle smile as she avoided the rest of her team's stares "Yes, a fortunate coincidence, indeed"

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much, Weiss" Ruby thought aloud "It's kind of weirding me out"

"It's definitely creepy" Mordred agreed with a nod.

"Oh, hush, you dolts"

As Ruby smiled at her team's antics – ironically getting closer as the bickering and bantering between them increased – she noticed a small crowd gathered outside a small dust shop. A dust shop that had police tape outside of it and its windows smashed.

"It's definitely above our pay grade this time" one of the officers said as Team RWBM approached the scene.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked one of the officers.

"Robbery, from the looks of it. Second one this week. Lost track of how many it's been this _month_ " the man said as he turned around to further inspect the scene "This place is turning into a jungle"

"Strange that all the dust are missing but not a single cent was taken" one of the officers noted, catching the girls' attention.

"You thinking White Fang?" one of them asked.

"Probably. What could they want with all that dust, though?"

"Beats me. All I know is that we don't get paid enough for this sort of crap"

"Hmph. The White Fang, huh? I suppose it's no surprise, coming from a group of degenerates" Weiss huffed as she crossed her arms.

"Don't you think it's too early to make those kinds of assumptions?" Blake asked with narrowed eyes.

"Not at all. After all, they're all just criminally insane and we can't hope to possibly understand their motives. If they even have one at all, for that matter"

"Criminally insane? They're misguided"

Weiss responded with a scoff, "You call launching constant attacks on dust supplies misguided? Not to mention the fact that they're number one objective seems to be the genocide of humanity"

"Then they're _incredibly_ misguided" Blake countered, turning away to stare at the crim scene in front of her "Either way, my original point stands: It's much too early to be pointing fingers here, _especially_ since we don't have any evidence as to who committed the act in the first place"

"Blake has a point there, Weiss" Ruby continued "For all we know, the White Fang might not even be in Vale right now. Maybe it was Torchwick"

"Hmph. Be that as it may, that doesn't change the fact that those Faunus are all just a bunch of scum who only knows how to lie, cheat, or steal" Weiss argued with a huff.

"Not to sound like the moral compass here but, you're being pretty racist there, Ice Queen, even more so than usual" Mordred added, a slight scowl on her face "You're basically racial profiling now"

Before Weiss could respond to the blonde's accusation, the four girls were interrupted by a commotion coming from the docks behind them.

"Hey, stop that faunus!" A voice shouted. Turning around, Team RWBM saw two men chasing after a monkey faunus sporting nothing but a white jacket, blue cargo pants and a pair of sneakers.

Things certainly didn't improve after that as the monkey faunus proved Weiss's earlier accusations right as he threw a banana peel at a police officer's face before promptly running away from the scene of the crime.

"There, see?! What did I tell you?! Now, after that Faunus!" Weiss shouted, as she and her team ran after the fleeing student.

"Look on the bright side. You wanted to spy on the other contestants of the Vytal Festival, right?" Mordred countered as the four girls rounded a corner "Well, now's your chance!"

"Mordred, I don't think-" Ruby started to say before she was suddenly halted in her tracks as she ran into what felt like a brick wall. A brick wall that just happened to take the shape of a teenage girl.

"No! He got away!" Weiss shouted as she stared at the retreating form of the faunus from earlier.

"Ow… Did anybody catch the license plate of whatever just crashed into me?" Ruby asked as she rubbed the bruise on her head.

"Uh… Red?" Mordred said as she pointed to the ground in front of her team leader.

"Ahh!" Ruby shouted in shock as she immediately got to her feet as she stared at the girl in front of her with a confused expression.

The girl, dressed in a grey old-fashioned blouse with short gray overalls with a pink bow adorning the back of her head, said one thing in return, "Salutations!"

 **[Later, Team RWBM Dorm]**

"I just don't understand. Why are you bothered by all this?!" Weiss argued as she stood up from her bed.

"The very _fact_ that you don't understand why this is a problem _is_ the problem" Blake countered.

"Why?! Because I claim that every single Faunus could be a member of the White Fang? That the only path ahead of them is being a criminal?!"

"Hey, don't you think that's going a bit too far?" Mordred asked, finally stepping in as she grabbed the Heiress's shoulder. Glaring at the blonde, Weiss simply shrugged her arm off.

"Fine. I know when I'm wrong and you're right. Maybe I am discriminatory towards the Faunus but I stand by what I said about the White Fang" Weiss continued as she turned her attention back towards Blake "You say they're misguided but can you really label their actions as such after everything that they've done? Bombings, murders, kidnappings, assassinations. Do you really think that there is anything you can say that can justify their actions?"

"Why do you think they had to resort to those kinds of tactics in the first place?! It's because of people like Cardin, people like you… and your family" Blake hissed the last part.

"People like me?! I'm the victim here. And it's not just me, either" Weiss said with narrowed eyes as she glanced at Mordred, who stared back with a hardened look "Mordred knows this. As a matter of fact, we've faced this same thing growing up. People around us – friends, board members, family members – just disappeared one day only to be found the next day murdered. No, executed would be the more proper word"

Ruby was about to say something before Mordred grabbed her by the shoulder as the girl only shook her head in response.

"So you want to know _why_ I hate the White Fang, Blake?! It's because they're nothing but a bunch of murderers, criminals, and thieves!"

"Well maybe that's because we're all just sick and tired of being pushed around!" Blake shouted before realizing the mistake a moment later as Weiss and Blake both had looks of shock all over their faces.

"W-we? What do you mean-" Blake shot out of their dorm before Weiss could finish her question.

 **[Elsewhere, downtown Vale]**

" _How goes the preparation, Roman?"_ came the voice from the other end of the scroll.

"Don't you worry about it, boss" Roman answered as he stared at the detailed map in front of him "Everything's going to go according to plan, I guarantee it"

" _Oh? You're giving me a guarantee? Then… You_ do _know what will happen should you fail to deliver on your promise, correct?"_

"O-of course" Roman answered as a bead of sweat ran down his face.

" _Excellent. Now, where's Sasaki? I would like to speak to him"_ the voice demanded as Roman handed the device over to the purple clad man.

"I see. Very well" the man said as the conversation between him and his employer ended in less than a minute.

"What was all that about?" Roman asked as he lit up a cigar.

"It seems, dear thief, that I am to act as the vixens insurance to ensure that you do not fail in your task"

"So, what… You're gonna be my babysitter? What else is new?" Roman asked as he stared out into Vale.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on Chapter 9. Honestly, I was trying to get this one out sooner but alas, work and other stuff stopped me from doing so.**

 **Anyway, on to the chapter. I'm not sure if you guys would like this one. The second half is a bit of a rehash from canon. I did, however, like writing the first half of the chapter but I do think that the spite between Weiss and Mordred can get a bit old. Don't worry, I've come up with a few good ideas on how to fix that. Next chapter, we go into Vale as the search for Blake goes underway.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	10. Chapter 10

**[Seven Years Ago, Mistral Forest]**

" _Hey now, is that all the strength you can muster, little Belladona?" Adam asked as he stared at Blake's desperate attempts to get back to her feet._

" _S-shut up, Adam…" Blake said, a wooden sword in hand, with a glare as she finally managed to stand, albeit wobbly "I can still fight"_

" _Oh? Well, if anything, your determination is impressive. Shall we continue?"_

" _Of co-"_

" _That's enough" a voice suddenly said, cutting off Blake's answer "That's enough for today, Blake. Any more than this, and you're going to die"_

" _W-what? No, I can still fight" Blake argued as she looked towards Adam "Adam, tell her"_

 _The boy, however, could only shrug in response, "If she says you're done for today, then you're done"_

" _Tch… You're only saying that because you're afraid of going up against her" Blake argued._

" _What was tha-"_

" _Alright, Blake. Go tend to your wounds. We'll continue your training tomorrow" the woman said with a laugh, cutting off Adam's response, as Blake nodded in agreement._

" _Hmph. You're too soft on her, Atalante" Adam noted as he placed his wooden sword on top of a nearby crate._

" _She's just a child, Adam" the woman clad in a green dress noted before she took her bow in one hand "Of course, if you're feeling up for it, I could spar with you"_

" _I think I'll pass. I'm feeling pretty good today and I wouldn't want to sully that feeling with a loss" Adam replied._

 **[The Present, Vale]**

"-ake? Blake!" the monkey Faunus shouted.

"Huh? What is it?" Blake asked, as she stared at the boy beside her.

"Is something wrong? You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes" the boy noted.

"It's nothing. I just remembered something… from a long time ago" Blake answered.

"Oh… So, what now?" the boy asked as he looked around at his surroundings.

"Well, we're not going to find anything about the White Fang by just sitting on the roadside like this" Blake stated as she stood up.

"So, what… We're just gonna walk around Vale until we find something?"

"Do you have a better idea?" the silence from him was all the answer Blake needed "That's what I thought. Let's go"

 **[Somewhere else In Vale]**

"We've been searching ever since the sun came up" Mordred groaned as she, Ruby, and Weiss walked the streets of Vale in search of their missing teammate "Clearly shouting her name won't be bringing Belladona back to us anytime soon"

"For once in my life, I'm inclined to agree with Mordred" Weiss agreed with a nod "If you want my suggestion-"

"I don't" Mordred quickly added.

"- We should go to the proper authorities that there's a member of the White Fang loose on the streets of Vale" Weiss suggested, ignoring her blonde teammate's words.

"Weiss…" Ruby started, glaring at the Heiress.

"What? It was just an idea. Which, by the way, I don't hear either of you coming up with any"

"A terrible idea, if you ask me" Ruby added.

"Red's right. Besides, haven't you heard of the term 'innocent until proven guilty'?" Mordred continued.

"What's there to prove? She as good as admitted that she's a part of the White Fang by storming off last night" Weiss argued.

"I don't think that proves anything, Weiss. She's not just our teammate, she's our friend" Ruby countered, not bothering to look back at Weiss "And friends deserve a second chance"

"I agree with Ruby. Friends should always get the benefit of the doubt" came a fourth voice from behind the three girls.

"Aghh! Penny?! Where did you come from?!" Ruby asked as the three girls turned around in startled confusion.

"Hello, friends" Penny said in greeting "What are the three of you up to on this fine day?"

"We're looking for Belladona" Mordred answered "You know, gloomy, likes the color black, wears a bow? Any chance you've seen her today?"

"Belladona? Ohhh… You mean the Faunus girl" Penny wondered aloud, earning startled looks from Weiss, Ruby, and Mordred.

"Wait… How did you know she was a Faunus?" Ruby asked.

"The… cat ears?" Penny answered.

"Cat ears? What are you talking about? She wears a…" Mordred trailed off as everything suddenly became clear to her "Huh… Now that you mention it, she never seems to take them off whenever she's around us. Geez, I wonder how long it's been since she's washed the damn thing"

"Well, where is she?" Penny asked.

"We don't know. She disappeared last night and we've been searching for her since this morning" Ruby answered as Penny suddenly grabbed hold of the young girl's shoulders.

"That's terrible" Penny said with a gasp "Well, don't you worry, dear friend Ruby. I'll help you find her and you can be assured that I won't rest until she's found"

"O-oh… Right… It's just… We'll do fine just by ourselves. Right, guys?" Ruby asked as she looked at her teammates only to find that they've both disappeared.

"So much for team bonding…" Ruby muttered to herself.

 **[/]**

"That was a close one. So, since our search hasn't garnered any results so far, I say we go ahead with my previous idea of going to the proper authorities. What do you think, Mordred?" Weiss asked as she looked behind her only to find nobody there "Damn it, Mordred!"

 **[/]**

"Stick with weird girl and Ruby or stick with Ice Queen? Boy, if Gods do exist, they sure aren't being kind to me today" Mordred thought aloud.

" _Right… If I were a student running away from school, where would I go?"_ Mordred thought to herself. Scanning the busy street around her, the girl's stomach suddenly started to rumble "Well, seeing as the idiot probably hasn't had anything to eat since last night, I'd wager she's somewhere with food"

True to her assumptions, Mordred actually did stumble upon her runaway teammate not five minutes later, sitting in a café with some monkey Faunus.

" _Damn… Didn't think I'd actually find her. Now what do I do?"_ Mordred thought to herself as she contemplated her options " _I could just go back and say that she was nowhere to be found even after I was out searching all day. Ah, but knowing my luck, some bastard at Beacon might just rat. So, that's no good. I could just hide out in Vale. Maybe hit the arcade. But then those two might catch me slacking off and then I'll never hear the end of it. Hmm… What would Red do at a time like this?"_

" _Remember, Mordred. Blake's our teammate and it is our duty as her friends to make sure she's safe"_ echoed Ruby's voice inside the blonde's head.

" _Damn it, conscience"_ Mordred cursed as she crossed the street towards the café Blake was currently in.

"I was… once a member of the White Fang" Blake said as Mordred reached the girl's table, causing the monkey Faunus to choke on his drink.

"Wait… You were-"

"Well, isn't that something… You were once with the White Fang, huh?" Mordred said, interrupting their conversation as she pulled up a chair.

"Mordred?!" Blake exclaimed as she stood up "What are you doing here?!"

"You know, I remembered you being smarter" Mordred quipped as she sat down and took a sip of Blake's drink "Blegh… black coffee? Really? Anyway, to answer your question, why do you think I'm out here, you idiot? In the middle of the day, no less. To look for your pathetic self, that's why. And sit down, you're causing a scene"

Narrowing her eyes at the blonde, Blake reluctantly sat back down, "Great. You found me. What now?"

"Blake, you know this girl?" Sun asked.

"Yeah… We're a part of the same team in Beacon" Blake answered, not taking her eyes off of Mordred.

"Who's the talking abs?" Mordred asked as she pointed at the monkey Faunus.

"That's Sun" Blake replied "He's been helping me search for the White Fang since last night"

"Hmm… That's pretty creepy, suddenly helping out a girl you don't know" Mordred added "If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's an ulterior motive going on here"

"W-what?! It's not like-"

"Don't bother arguing with her. You'll just get a raging headache" Blake quickly added "So, you didn't answer my question: You've found me. Now what?"

"For starters, why don't we grab something to eat, huh? I'm guessing the streets last night weren't exactly lined with food for the taking" Mordred suggested and as soon as she said it, both Blake's and Sun's stomachs began to growl.

"Fine. Do you have any money? Because I sure don't" Blake said as she emptied her pockets.

"Me neither. Don't worry. We won't be eating here. I know a guy who owns a shop nearby" Mordred replied.

"Great. Let's go" Blake said before Mordred grabbed the girl's arm.

"Before that, how about you give her a call, huh?" Mordred said as she slid her scroll across the table.

"Who?"

"Ruby. Call her and tell her you're alright" Mordred answered.

"What? Why?"

"Because she's your friend. Not to mention, she's your team leader and let's not even start with the fact that we've been walking through Vale since early morning" Mordred said as the two girls stared each other down before Blake finally gave up with a sigh.

"Fine. I'll call her" Blake said as she began to dial Ruby's scroll number "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Hmph. I don't. It's just an order from my team leader, that's all" Mordred replied as she leaned back on her chair.

"Heh, if you say so" Blake said with a smirk.

"Something funny?" Mordred asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Nothing. It's just… I find it cute how wrapped around her little finger you are"

"Keep talking like that and I might just smash your face in" Mordred replied as she turned her attention towards Sun "So, what brings you to Vale, stalker?"

 **[/]**

"Remind me again how you know this guy?" Sun asked as the three of them approached what appear to be a weapons shop.

"I met him around the time before I started attending Beacon. He found me stealing food from stores around here and offered me a place to live" Mordred answered.

"Just like that? You don't think _that_ sounds creepy?" Sun asked.

"Of course I did, dumbass. I wasn't naïve enough to just say yes like that. I mean, I still took him up on his offer but you I never let my guard down" Mordred replied as they reached the shop's entrance before Mordred started to knock on the doors "Yo, Kairi! You in there? It's me, Mordred! We're kind of hungry at the moment so you think you could let us raid your fridge?"

"Looks like nobody's home" Sun thought aloud "Now what?"

"Relax, I got this" Mordred said as she reached under the doormat and fished out a key "Ta-da! Mordred Pendragon always comes through with her promises"

"Who's out there?" came a voice from the café next to the weapons shop. Not a moment later, a man dressed in a floral shirt and jeans came through the door. That wasn't what caught both Sun and Blake's eyes, though. It was the scar running across the man's left eye and the tattoos covering both his left and right arms "Well, if it isn't Mordred. How have you been?"

"How's it going, old man Kousei?" Mordred asked with a wave.

"Ah, well… You know how it is" the man answered "Also, don't call me an old man. I'm only twenty-five"

"Heh. My bad, my bad. Anyway, you know where Kairi went?" Mordred asked.

"Told me he was going out on a job. Said an old friend asked for his help and that he'll be back in a week. That was yesterday" Kousei answered.

"Alright. Thanks for the heads up, old man" Mordred replied as she led Sun and Blake inside "Ah, I'd appreciate it if you could keep the fact that we'll be eating his food and using his shower a secret, okay?"

"Heh. Sure thing, kid" the man said as he went back to his own business.

"Hey, who was that guy?" Sun asked once Mordred had closed the doors.

"Ah, don't mind him. He's a veteran Hunter but he's pretty much harmless" Mordred replied "Anyway, fridge is over there and the shower's on the second floor if you need it. Might as well crash here while we think of what to do next, right?"

"I'm sorry, 'we'? As in, the three of us?" Blake asked as she stared at the girl.

"Well, duh. What you guys are doing seems like fun so, might as well join in"

"You realize that we're not exactly going on vacation, right?" Blake replied.

"Ah, don't stress the minor details, Belladona. You keep that up and your hair's gonna fall off soon" Mordred joked.

"Well, having more fighters isn't exactly a bad thing" Sun noted as Blake responded with a sigh.

"Exactly. So, what's the game plan?" Mordred asked as she looked between Sun and Blake.

"These robberies that's been going on lately… I still think the White Fang has nothing to with them" Blake started as she took a can of tuna from the fridge "I mean, they've never needed that much dust before"

"But what if they did?" Sun asked, much to the confusion of the two girls "I mean, there's one way to prove that they _didn't_ do it and that's by going to the place they would most likely go to if they were to do it and not find them there… Right?"

"Heh… You're pretty smart for a stalker, Abs" Mordred quipped, a can of beer in one hand.

"That's a start. Although, that leaves us with another problem: I don't know where that might be" Blake added as she started on another can of tuna.

"I got that covered. When I was on the ship, I overheard a couple of guys talking about a huge shipment of dust from Atlas coming in tonight"

"How huge are we talking here?" Mordred added.

"Huge. Big Schnee company freighter" Sun answered.

"And you're sure?"

"Only one way to find out, right?" Sun replied.

"Great. Then that's where we're going" Blake said as she reached for the door.

"What, now? But we just got here. Besides, Abs said they're coming in tonight. It's still the middle of the day. All you'll be doing if you go out there right now is baking yourself to death" Mordred stated "Why don't we take it easy here for a bit and leave in about two hours or so? That sound like a good plan?"

"She's right, Blake. No use in rushing in" Sun added as Blake looked between the two blondes.

"Fine. I guess we could recuperate here until night comes" Blake answered as she went up towards the shop's second floor "I suppose it wouldn't do me any harm to take a shower"

"That's the spirit" Mordred replied as she popped open another can of beer.

 **[Later that night, Vale docks]**

"Brr… It's cold out tonight, isn't it?" Mordred thought aloud.

"Coming from the idiot who's only wearing a jacket, a tank top, and a pair of shorts, I'm not surprised" Blake replied "Also, are you drunk?"

"Please… All I drank this afternoon were three cans of Budweiser. Might as well have been drinking water"

"If you say so…" Blake replied.

"Hmm…" Mordred hummed to herself as she stared at her Faunus teammate.

"What?" Blake asked.

"So that's how you look like with cat ears instead of a bow on, huh?"

"There a problem?" Blake asked with narrowed eyes.

"No need to get hostile now. It's not like I'm racist or discriminatory or anything like that" Mordred added "Not like your partner back in Beacon"

"Hmph… Some partner" Blake muttered.

"You know, you mentioned earlier in the day how I was all wrapped around Red's little finger – which isn't true, by the way – but honestly, I'd take something like that over your partnership any day"

"Yeah, well… Knowing who and what I am now, do you think there was ever a way for Weiss and I to ever get along?" Blake asked as she stared at Mordred "She's a Schnee and I'm a Faunus. We're meant to be enemies. Destined, you could say"

"Destiny? I'm sorry but that's just bullshit, Belladona, and deep down, you know it" Mordred argued.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Come on, you and I both know that We- the Ice Queen isn't the one responsible for all the treatment the Faunus receives working for the SDC. It's her old man"

"That doesn't mean she's innocent. Plus, you heard her yourself last night. How easy it was for her to treat the Faunus like nothing but dirt on the ground"

"Correct me if I'm wrong but she admitted the fact that she was wrong to be so racist against the Faunus, didn't she? Her hate was directed towards the White Fang, not Faunus in general" Mordred said "And she's right to be. The White Fang's actions over the past few years, is there really anything you can say that can justify any of it?"

Before Blake could respond, Sun suddenly appeared from behind the two girls, bringing a handful of fruits with him.

"So, what'd I miss?" the boy asked as he looked between the two girls.

"Nothing much. All they've done is offload a number of crates off the ship. Now they're just sitting there"

"Hmmm… So, I stole you girls some food" Sun said, as he offered them an apple "Want some?"

"Do you always break the law without a second thought?" Blake deadpanned.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult?" Sun countered as he received a glare in return "Okay, too soon"

"Don't mind if I do" Mordred said as she swiped the fruit from the Faunus's hand before the three students were blasted by air from above. Looking up, the three of them saw a bullhead descend towards the ground. Not long after it landed, the hatch opened as a number of figures exited the bullhead. Figures clad in White Fang uniforms.

"No, no, no…" Blake whispered to herself.

"Is that them?" Sun asked

"Yes, it's them" Blake answered as she stared at the White Fang logo.

"You really didn't think it was them, did you?"

"I think deep down I did. I just… didn't want to be right" Blake replied, a saddened look in her eyes.

"Hey!" came a voice from below that grabbed the three student's attention. A moment later, dressed in a white suit, black pants and a bowler hat, Roman Torchwick came out with his cane in one hand "What's the hold up? Come on now, we're not exactly being subtle here, people. Pick up the pace, alright?! Honestly, these animals"

"Something's wrong" Blake said as she stood up before unsheathing her weapon "The White Fang would never work with a human, no matter what. _Especially_ not with a human like that"

"H-hey, where are you-" Sun didn't have time to finish her question before Blake jumped down to the ground.

"Now what do we do?" Sun asked as he looked towards Mordred.

"What else? Back her up" Mordred answered as she summoned her weapons locker with her scroll before promptly calling the rest of her team.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Okay so, I just wanna say, I really like how this chapter turned out. The interactions between Blake and Mordred in this chapter was something I'd had planned out for a while now so, I hope you guys like it. Not much action in this chapter, I'm afraid.**

 **Also, surprise. Another chapter so soon? Yeah, wanted to make up for the fact that no chapter came out in June. So, enjoy. Next chapter we're going to see some action, both from expected and** _ **unexpected**_ **parties. There's one fight in particular I'm incredibly excited to write and equally as excited for you to read. Until then, stay tuned.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	11. Chapter 11

**[Team RWBM Dorm]**

"It's getting pretty late and they're still not back yet" Ruby thought aloud as she sat on the edge of her bed "I know Blake told me that everything was okay and that she and Morded were going to take care of things but… maybe we should go look for them… Just in case anything bad happened…"

At that last sentence, Weiss immediately got up from her bed to calm her leader down, "Relax, Ruby. I'm sure everything is okay. In fact, I'm sure Blake and that blonde gorilla of a partner of yours are on their way back as we speak"

A few seconds of silence passed before Ruby spoke, "If- When they do come back, what are _you_ going to do, Weiss?"

Weiss let that question linger for a few seconds before she answered, "I've had time to… think about my response and I believe that the… most _optimal_ solution would be to give Blake a chance to explain herself"

"Really? You really mean that?" the team leader asked with hope filled eyes.

"Yes… Yes, I do" Weiss replied as Ruby tackled the Heiress with a hug.

"Awww, Weiss! You do care!" Ruby exclaimed before Weiss pushed the younger girl back.

"Get off of me, you dolt! That's not something to hug about now, is it?" Weiss reprimanded with a huff and a cross of her arms.

"Heh, my bad, my bad… Forgot you didn't like hugs" Ruby said as she rubbed the back of her head before her scroll began ringing a moment later. Picking it up, Ruby saw that she was receiving a call from Mordred.

"There, see? I'll bet you anything that's the buffoon calling you now to say that everything's okay and that they're on the last Bullhead back to Beacon right this moment"

"I hope so" Ruby said as she placed the call on loud speaker "Hello? Mordred?"

" _Hey there, Ruby! How's it going?"_ Mordred ask from the other line.

"We're doing great, Mordred. Where are you guys? It's getting-"

" _That's great. Anyway, remember back when Blake called you to tell you that she was going to go straight back to Beacon_ after _she found out whether the White Fang was really behind these dust robberies?"_

"Yeah…." Ruby answered, uncertainty in her tone.

" _Well, turns out, the White Fang_ were _behind those incidents_ " Mordred continued.

"What's the good news?" Ruby asked as Weiss mouthed an 'I told you so' to her.

" _There is none. In fact, the worse news is that that idiot Belladona somehow thought it was a good idea to jump down and actually_ confront _those White Fang goons_ _after she saw that Torchwick guy apparently ordering them around"_ Mordred replied as a loud crash was heard in the background.

"Wait, what?!" Ruby and Weiss both asked at the same time as the two girls shot up to their feet.

" _Oh, good. Clarent's here"_ Mordred said to herself.

"Mordred, what is going on?! Why did you call for your sword?!" Ruby asked, the worry on her face growing by the second.

"And more importantly, where are you two?!" Weiss added.

" _Long story short, if worse comes to worst, Belladona's gonna need some backup tonight. As for the where, we're down here by the docks"_ Mordred answered " _Damn it! My armor's still in the shop! Fine, looks like it's just you and me tonight, Clarent!"_

"Mordred, wait!" Ruby shouted into her scroll.

" _Can't talk right now. That idiot and the talking abs just started fighting some White Fang"_ Mordred said as the sounds of explosions were heard before the call was ended. As soon as she did, Ruby started to sprint towards the door before Weiss took hold of her arm.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Weiss asked as Ruby struggled to get free.

"Our friends obviously need our help right now!" Ruby answered "We have to get there. And fast!"

"Without a plan? Don't be reckless, Ruby!"

"We'll think of something on the way there" Ruby countered "The point is, we have to go now! Before it's too late!"

Weiss let out a frustrated sigh before letting her leader's arm go, "Fine. I think the school still has some Bullheads left that's leaving. If we hurry, we might make it in time before anything terrible happens"

"That's the spirit, Weiss!" Ruby cheered as she sprinted out the door "Now, let's go save our-"

Whatever the young girl was about to say was halted as she slammed into someone on her way out.

"Ruby! Are you okay?" Weiss asked.

"Owww… Did anybody catch the name of the wall that just slammed into me?" Ruby asked as she rubbed her head.

"Miss Rose? Where are the two of you going at this time of night?" a voice asked.

 **[Vale Docks]**

Blake managed to roll out of the way just in time before that last blast hit her as she took cover behind a few crates.

"I just don't get it… Adam's the last Faunus on Remnant who would even _think_ about aligning with humans. So, why?" Blake muttered to herself as she peered just in time to see Sun taking down a few members of the White Fang before taking on Torchwick by himself.

"What the fuck-" Blake reacted too late at the voice behind her before she was suddenly put into a chokehold "-were you thinking, you stupid idiot?!"

"I mean, seriously?! In what universe did you think it was a good idea to just jump down there and confront those goons?!" Mordred shouted into Blake's ear as she continued to choke her teammate from behind "What was your plan? Preach them to death?!"

"Mor- Can't… breathe…" Blake managed to squeeze out as she furiously but helplessly slapped the blonde's arm. Mordred ignored the girls' protests for a few more seconds before finally letting go, causing Blake into a coughing fit as she fell to her knees.

"I swear, Belladona, if I die tonight, I am going to haunt you" Mordred sighed as her teammate struggled to get up. Offering her hand, Blake accepted the help only for Mordred to pull it back at the last second, causing the Faunus to stumble "So, you planning to take a nap or what? Your stalker over there looks like he's having trouble against that Torchwick guy"

"Fine. Let's go" Blake said – after taking a few seconds to orient herself – as she leapt over Sun in an attempt to get at Torchwick with Mordred not far behind. Going for a flanking manoeuvre, Mordred went for his left while Blake went for his right as the two of them traded blows with the thief. As Blake went for quick and precise strikes aimed at Roman's head, Mordred instead went for the thief's legs in an attempt to disrupt his balance and hopefully get him to slip up.

This fast paced exchange of attacks continued for nearly a minute before Mordred, realizing too late that Roman had faked an opening as he sidestepped one of her attacks, took a sharp and clean knee to her nose, staggering the blonde back a few feet, before he resumed his assault on Blake. Struggling to keep up with the master criminal, Blake was helpless as she was beaten to the ground from just a few attacks.

Before the situation could get any worse, however, Sun immediately re-joined the fray as he took on the thief with two pairs of flintlock pistols in hand. Try as he might, however, Sun just could not get an edge over the man.

" _Damn… Guess we kinda forgot that he was also a professional Huntsman at one point"_ Mordred thought to herself as Blake dashed past her and towards the thief. Distracted by Sun's unending onslaught, Blake managed to land a flying knee of her own on the criminal's face before Mordred followed up with a devastating blow towards his midriff that sent him flying back a few feet as well as separating him and his weapon.

"Damn plan running kids… If this gets any more out of hand, the boss is gonna roast my ass" Roman muttered to himself as he dusted himself off.

"It's over, Torchwick. Give it up. No matter how good you are, you can't take all three of us by yourself" Blake said as the three teens approached the master thief.

"Oh, my… Is that true, Roman?" came a voice from the inside of a nearby Bullhead "Is taking care of three stray children truly too much for one such as you?"

"Tch… Now there's this guy" Roman thought aloud as a man with indigo hair wearing a purple kimono stepped out of the Bullhead he was originally in. The weird colour scheme aside, what really caught the attention of the three teenagers was the insanely long katana strapped to the man's back.

"Well, Roman? _Are_ they too much for you? Can you handle all of them or will you fail the vixen once more? Of course, you know what happens if it's the latter, don't you?" the man spoke, glancing towards the three students for a split second.

"Urghh… Fine. I need your help in taking care of a couple of pests. There, you happy?" Roman asked with an annoyed tone as he got to his feet.

The man nodded, a smug smile on his face as he unsheathed his weapon and faced the three teenagers in front of him, "Good evening, children. It is a beautiful night tonight, isn't it? Alas, such a beautiful night shouldn't be tainted by bloodshed, much less the blood of children as young as you. Don't you agree?"

"Guys, you two take care of him" Blake said, ignoring completely what the man in purple just said "Torchwick's all mine"

"Blake" Mordred called out "Don't underestimate Torchwick, you hear me? He's better than you think he is"

Replying with a nod, Blake went face to face with the master thief while Mordred and Sun focused on their own enemy.

"I applaud your confidence, though foolish it may be. I suppose introductions are in order" the man said as he entered into a fighting stance "My name is Sasaki Kojirou. I'd advise you to remember it well but it seems your flames of youth will be snuffed out on this moon lit night"

"This guy… He's been acting all cocky and shit for the past few seconds but I can tell… He's dangerous…" Sun whispered to his fellow blonde as droplets of sweat covered the boys' brow.

"Tell me about it. I've been barely keeping myself together ever since he drew his sword" Mordred replied as her grip on her weapon tightened "I'm hoping it's from excitement but I know it's pure, instinctual fear"

"Are you finished with your planning? If so, I'll give you the courtesy of making the first move" Sasaki said.

"Well, don't mind if we do!" Sun yelled as he leapt into the air before attempting a flying kick towards the man in purple. Reading the boy's moves like an open book, Sasaki simply dodged the attack by moving a few paces to his left. The man followed up by also dodging Mordred's follow up attack aimed at his midriff.

Frustration starting to well up, Mordred continued her onslaught with a number of slashes towards the man. Alas, her attacks all became futile as Sasaki seemed to exert no effort at all in dodging every single one of the girl's attacks.

" _Tch… Damn bastard's pretty quick on his feet"_ Mordred thought to herself. A few moments later, Sun joined in on the fray as he went for his own barrage of attacks as well, this time going for the man's unprotected back. Noticing the boy's presence a moment too late, Sasaki was forced to use his sword for the first time that night as he quickly but calmly parried and blocked the two teens attempts at attacking him.

This little exchange continued for a few more minutes before Sasaki jumped back to gain a little distance from his opponents.

"Oh? Just that much exercise has the two of you breathing heavily already? My, my… The youths of today are quite weak, aren't they?" a chuckle came out of Sasaki as he noted the heavy breathing coming from his opponents.

"You… bastard…" Mordred cursed in between breaths.

"Well, I suppose if you're not going to do anything then allow me to do the honours" the man said.

" _He's fast"_ Sun thought as he Sasaki suddenly appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye. Not wasting any time, Sasaki immediately forced the two teenagers into the defensive as he wasn't even giving them any time to counterattack. The exchange, if you could call it that, barely lasted a minute before Sasaki mockingly stepped back to allow the teens a brief moment to catch their breath.

"Sadly, this is as far as you go, children. Such a shame as I am not in the business of killing children but unfortunately, duty demands that I do" Sasaki spoke as his focus zeroed in on Sun.

"Abs! Look out!" Mordred shouted as she quickly realized what the man was about to do. Pushing all other thoughts aside, Mordred pushed Sun out of the way as she took the full force of Sasaki's attack.

The Faunus fell back with a thud as his back hit the ground a moment later. Getting up quickly, Sun was about to prepare for the worst before his eyes became wide with shock in response to the scene in front of him.

"Arghhh!" Mordred's scream of agony filled the air that night as Sasaki managed to pierce his blade clean through the girl's side.

"Mordred!" Sun shouted after finally regaining his composure as he went for another barrage of attacks against Sasaki. Pulling his weapon free from the girl, Sasaki simply sidestepped Sun's incoming attacks before he proceeded to deliver a blow towards the boy's skull with the bottom of his handle, stunning him for a split second. Taking advantage of that split second, Sasaki then continued his assault with a devastating slash towards the boys' back.

"Arghh!" Sun shouted in pain as he fell to the ground face first.

"Sun! Mordred!" Blake shouted.

 **[A few minutes earlier]**

"Blake" Mordred called out "Don't underestimate Torchwick, you hear me? He's better than you think he is"

Blake replied with a nod as she faced the master thief who was currently dusting himself off.

"Look, kid… Between you and me, Sasaki over there is much more of a dangerous bastard than I am. Don't you think it'd be better if the three of you took on him together? I mean, you don't want the blonde duo to die tonight, do you?" Torchwick asked as he puffed on a cigar.

"Shut up, Torchwick" Blake spat, her eyes filled with disgust at the human standing before her "Tonight's the night you pay for your crimes"

"You know, you say my name so casually like you know me but I'm pretty sure this is the first time we've met" Torchwick replied as Blake rushed towards him, her weapon at the ready "Diplomacy isn't your strong suit, is it?"

Their weapons clashed a moment later as blade met cane. Their struggle lasted for a few seconds before Torchwick jumped back to gain some distance. Not letting the thief catch a breath, Blake then made full use of her semblance.

" _Tch… Not this shit again"_ Torchwick thought to himself as he parried and blocked the incoming strikes from the Faunus even with her attempts at confusing him with her various clones. The fight between the two was pretty much even as they locked their weapons once more.

"So much rage in you, kitty cat. Why don't you tell Uncle Roman what's wrong? Nothing? Oof, tough crowd" Roman quipped before he delivered a headbutt. Disoriented, Blake staggered back a few feet before Roman followed up with a kick to the stomach, a knee to the face before finally finishing up with a devastating strike to the side of Blake's face with his cane that sent the Faunus flying back.

Refusing to give up even with how much pain she was currently going through right now, Blake stood up, Gambol Shroud in her hand as she glared at the master criminal. Wiping away the blood stains on her face, she re-entered her fighting stance, "All that for a few drops of blood"

"Tch. Annoying, aren't you?" Torchwick spat as he aimed his cane at the girl. He was about to pull the trigger before an agonising scream filled the air.

"Arghhh!" Blake immediately focused in on the source of the scream, in time to see the man in purple from before pulling his weapon from Mordred's side before he proceeded to deliver a deadly slash towards Sun's back.

"Sun! Mordred!" Blake shouted before she realized the fatal mistake she had made. Reacting a second too late, the Faunus was unable to do anything but block as Torchwick pulled the trigger on his weapon. The explosion was so great that it threw her against a nearby crate, denting it in the process.

"S-sun… M-mor…dred…" the girl managed to squeak out even as she groaned in pain. There was nothing she could do at that moment except to reach helplessly towards them.

"Hmmm… You seem to have at least some manner of skill at your disposal, Torchwick" Sasaki said, swiping away the blood on his sword as he stared at the bodies of the two teenagers in front of him. Though not dead, they were barely moving either.

"Of course. I didn't become the master criminal I am now without having the skills to back it up, you know?" Torchwick said as he puffed on his cigar before turning his attention on Mordred and Sun "So, you gonna finish them or what?"

"I suppose I should. It would be tactless of me to prolong their suffering like this" Sasaki said as he readied his blade once more. Before he could proceed with the killing blow, however, the two were suddenly assaulted with a sudden light from above. Looking up, the two saw that a Bullhead was hovering above, its spotlight shining directly towards them.

Too distracted by the appearance of the vehicle, Sasaki could not react in time as he and Torchwick were both assaulted with purple beams that pushed the of them back quite a few feet.

" _What was that?!"_ Sasaki thought to himself as he scanned his surroundings. The click clack of approaching heels answered his question a moment later as a blonde woman in a white top, a black skirt, and a purple cape flowing in the wind walked into view.

"Holy shit… That's…" Torchwick was unable to finish his sentence as he was too much in shock at the woman's sudden appearance.

"Indeed. My, this _is_ an auspicious night. To think I would be able to meet the Witch of Vale, Glynda Goodwitch herself on this beautiful night" Sasaki said as he bowed slightly towards Beacon's Deputy Headmistress "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Glaring at the man in purple in front of her, the woman did not bother to answer his question as her eyes roved over the unmoving bodies of Mordred and Sun. Her eyes widened in terror and shock before narrowing in anger towards Sasaki.

"Ah, these children here? I'm afraid they were much too foolish-" Sasaki didn't have time to finish his thought before a steel crate came crashing down on him. A moment later, the crate was cut cleanly in half and Sasaki stood at the centre, unharmed "My, it appears the stories about your legendary temper are true"

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Glynda fired off even more purple beams towards the man. Reacting quickly, Sasaki evaded most of them. Those he could not, he parried and blocked with his sword. Beacon's deputy headmistress did not slow down one bit as she took hold of a few crates around her, crushed them until they were in the shape of large spears before proceeding to hurl them at her enemy.

Unfortunately for the blonde, Sasaki was much too agile as he dodged and weaved his way through her barrage of attacks. This exchange continued for a few more seconds before Sasaki finally came within striking distance of Glynda, "Alas, this was fun while it lasted, Glynda Goodwitch"

Delivering a powerful downward strike towards the woman's head, Sasaki was surprised to see his attack blocked, "Hmph. Did you not think I would be ready for a battle in close combat? Such foolish notions"

As Glynda spat out those words, the two veteran Hunters resumed their battle.

 **[/]**

"-ake! Blake!" a familiar voice echoed through her mind as she groaned in pain.

"W-wha-?" Blake managed to utter as she groaned in pain while her eyes struggled to open.

"Blake! You're awake!" came the familiar voice once more "Are you alright?! What happened here?! Where's Torchwick?!"

"R-Ruby? What are you-?" Blake then suddenly shot up from the ground before falling back down again from the massive ache on her back "Mordred! And Sun! Are they okay?! Ruby, they were… they were…"

"Weiss is checking on them now…" Ruby replied, an expression of agony on her face.

"Weiss is here, too?" Blake asked as she finally spotted Weiss beside Mordred and Sun.

"Yeah. We came here with Professor Goodwitch after Mordred called us to explain what was going on" Ruby replied.

"Mordred did?"

"Yup. My partner's amazing, isn't she?"

"T-that's certainly one way to put it…" Blake replied, pain still shooting up and down her body "Wait, you said Professor Goodwitch. Where is she now?"

"Over there" Ruby said, pointing towards where a battle taking place. A battle that involved purple beams, movement too fast for the untrained eye, and steel crates flying all over the place.

"W-whoa" Blake thought aloud as she stared in awe as the battle unfolded before her eyes.

"I know" Ruby added as she held Blake up.

 **[/]**

"Don't die on me now, you buffoon!" Weiss shouted as she hastily used ice dust to seal Mordred's wound.

"I-Ice Queen?" Mordred managed to groan out as her eyes struggled to adjust to her surroundings "W-what are y-you-?"

"Don't talk, fool!" Weiss shouted once more "It will only aggravate your wounds!"

"F-forget m-me, you d-dumbass…" Mordred replied as she tried to push the heiress back but to no avail "The b-blonde m-monkey… Save him, damn it"

"He's stable… For now…" Weiss said, whispering that last part although it wasn't missed by Mordred "Just… Just hang on, alright?!"

"Heh… L-look at you, worrying about me… What has the world c-come…" Mordred let her sentence trail off as she lost consciousness.

"Mordred?! Mordred!" Weiss shouted.

 **[/]**

"Fuck this shit. I'm not getting myself involved in a fight like this" Torchwick muttered to himself as he retreated into a nearby Bullhead "Jeez… The things I go through"

"It seems your comrade has decided to leave to your fate" Glynda said as the Bullhead took off without Sasaki in it.

"You seem to be mistaken, dear Witch, into thinking that I only have one means of escape" the purple clad man calmly replied.

Glynda realized a moment too late as a third person had entered the battle as she narrowly avoided a sword from stabbing her through the eye. As quick as she may have been to react, her assailant was still able to cause a small cut to her right cheek as evidenced from the blood running down her face. Glaring at her new opponent, Glynda noted how short the girl was compared to the man beside her. Not only that, her weapon seemed to be the umbrella in her hand. The blonde woman was about to resume her battle before Weiss called out from behind.

"Professor Goodwitch! Mordred and the boy… they need help!" Weiss shouted, a panicked expression on her face "I don't think the ambulance can get here in time!"

"Oh, my. It seems we are at an impasse, dear Professor" Sasaki stated, a smug grin on his face "Either we continue to do battle here tonight and you can do to honour of bringing us to justice _or_ you can let us go and tend to your ailing students. Which shall it-?"

Professor Goodwitch didn't even let him finish his question before she turned around and immediately shouted orders at the Heiress, "Miss Schnee, you carry Miss Pendragon and bring her aboard the Bullhead. I will carry this young man here. If we act fast, we can get them back to Beacon's infirmary and save their lives!"

Weiss was frozen for a second from the professor's sudden outburst but regained her senses a moment later as she hastily carried her blonde teammate and onto the Bullhead they arrived in.

"Heh… Wise choice, Professor. Well then, until we meet again. Shall we, Neo?" Sasaki asked as he took hold of the little girl's hand before disappearing in a shower of mirrors.

"Miss Rose! Bring Miss Belladona into the Bullhead! Quickly!" Glynda shouted as Ruby, with Blake on her back, used her semblance and immediately appeared beside Weiss in the Bullhead. As soon as everyone was settled in, Glynda took off towards Beacon.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on Chapter 11. Phew. Really, really, really liked how this chapter turned out. Honestly, some of the fight scenes I just came up with recently. Even so, I really loved how they turned out. I hope you guys feel the same way as I do, too.**

 **As I promised last chapter, huge fight scenes in this one. This is pretty much the climax so next chapter, I'll probably have everything wrapped up. Hopefully with a neat little bow on top.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	12. Chapter 12

**[Beacon Medical Wing, Waiting Rom]**

"Foolish! Reckless! And let's not even begin with the fact that your actions tonight endangered the lives of your friends!" Glynda Goodwitch shouted as she paced Beacon's medical room, all the while not taking her glare off of the Faunus student in front of her. Meanwhile, all Ruby and Weiss could do was sit in silence, unable to do anything but stare at the situation unfolding before them "The magnitude of your actions tonight, Miss Belladona, has never before been seen in Beacon's illustrious history"

"Miss Goodwitch, I-" Blake started to argue but whatever she was about to say was crushed under the weight of the professor's glare. Glynda was about to continue before Professor Ozpin came from behind and placed a hand on the woman's shoulders. The action calmed the blonde somewhat, as she stepped back and allowed the Headmaster to perform his duties.

"Miss Belladona, I must say that I am truly disappointed by your actions tonight" the old man allowed the words to sink in as Blake could only stare at floor in front of her, her ears drooping even further "While it is not unusual for teams in Beacon to go through the occasional discord, the fact that such a discord could lead to such significant damage to private property is. Additionally, considering the fact that not only the life of your teammate but someone outside of your team was placed in danger, the situation becomes much worse"

The Faunus slumped even further at those words. Weiss was about to say something before Ozpin's words unintentionally cut her off.

"Your criminal past, Miss Belladona, was known to all the staff of Beacon but I suspect that you knew that we knew as well, correct?" Ozpin asked as Blake responded with a weak nod "I had hoped that, by accepting your application into Beacon, you would be able to step away from such a sordid past but I believe that from your actions tonight, you are either unwilling or unable to stop yourself from getting involved"

"Professor!" Weiss suddenly spoke up, as all eyes in the room turned towards the Heiress "Blake's not… she's not the only one at fault here tonight. I am equally as guilty since I was unwilling to listen to her explanations regarding her past"

"Be that as it may, Miss Schnee, I believe that instead of running away, Miss Belladona should have consulted her team regarding the matter instead of doing something as reckless as she did tonight" The Headmaster replied before turning his attention back towards Blake "That's why, seeing as it was Miss Rose's partner whose life was endangered tonight, that it would be well within her rights to request for your expulsion tonight, Miss Belladona"

"What?! No! That's not what I – what _we_ want!" Ruby spoke as she stood up, eyes wide with surprise "Professor Ozpin, please… My team and I can get through this"

"Be that as it may, Miss Rose, sometimes the decisions that I must make are ones that the students do not agree with. Even so, I must make those decisions if it is to protect the majority" the Headmaster paused, staring at the three members of Team RWBM present in the room "Miss Belladona, given your actions tonight and the consequences of such actions, I am uncertain regarding your future here in Beacon. That's why, effective immediately, you are hereby-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" A voice shouted from behind the group as the door towards the operating room was smashed open. A moment later, Mordred Pendragon, dressed in a hospital gown and with a tube stuck on her arm, stepped into the waiting room.

"Miss Pendragon! This is highly irregular!" A woman dressed in a blue operating gown shouted as she came running from behind "I must insist that you get back to your room this instant!"

"Listen up… old man…" Mordred said in between ragged breaths, pushing the woman aside as she walked up to the Headmaster "I wasn't here from the… beginning of your damn speech but I did… catch the end of it… You were gonna expel that dumbass I call a teammate, weren't you?"

Mordred pointed at Blake as the Faunus could only stare in shock at the blonde in front of her.

"I was, yes" Ozpin answered, not the least bit surprised at the girl's sudden appearance "You believe that would be the wrong course of action, Miss Pendragon?"

"You're goddamn right… that's the wrong… course of action!" Mordred replied as she poked the man in front of her, eyes resolute "Listen, that idiot didn't make me go out there tonight, I did. It was all my decision! And if you asked that talking abs that question, I'm sure he'd tell you the same thing"

"You were only doing what you did to support an errant teammate. This could have all been prevented had she-" The headmaster said before Mordred cut him off.

"I get it, alright? What we did… it was a dumb mistake… But that's why we're here, isn't it? Enrolled in your dumb school to make sure we don't make… the same stupid mistake twice" Mordred countered.

"That maybe be so but her actions tonight more than proved her unwillingness to let go of her past, to the point of putting the lives of her friends in danger"

"Like I said, it was-"

"Then we'll work on it. Together!" Ruby suddenly spoke up as she stood beside her partner "Isn't that right, Weiss?"

"That's right, Professor" the Heiress replied as she stood with her team "I think we can do this"

"You _think,_ Miss Schnee?"

"No, I _know_ we can do this" Weiss replied firmly before all three girls bowed their heads before the headmaster or, in Mordred's case, Weiss pushing her head down.

"Very well, then. I'll fine tune the details later but it seems for now" Ozpin said – an impressed expression on his face – as he turned around to face Blake, who had a look of pure relief on her face "You are still a student of Beacon Academy, Miss Belladona"

"There, see? All's well…" whatever Mordred was about to say was cut off as the Doctor from before came back and immediately injected the girl with a dose of sedative.

"Phew. Good thing she didn't see that coming" the woman said, as she wiped sweat from her brow as Mordred collapsed down onto the floor, surprising everyone present.

"Doctor, I do wish you'd give us some sort of warning next time you're going to do something like that" Professor Ozpin said.

"Drastic measures and all that, dear Headmaster" the woman said before she turned around and started making her way back to the operating room.

"Aren't you going to take her with you?" Ruby asked as she stared at her partner's unconscious form on the floor.

"I'm a medical professional, not a fighter. I'm not nearly strong enough to carry her. Could one of you girls help me with that?" the woman asked, not even bothering to look back.

"Damn it, Mordred" Weiss cursed under her breath as she took the girl's left arm.

"Go Team RWBM?" Ruby asked with a nervous chuckle as she took her partner's right.

"No" Weiss replied, as the three conscious members of Team RWBM trailed after the Doctor.

 **[The Next Day, Noon]**

"Remember to read pages fifty-five to seventy for the semester break, students. There will be a quiz on those pages after the break is over" Doctor Oobleck announced just as the school bell rang, signifying the end of class as well as the semester.

"Hey, you girls want to go visit Mordred later?" Ruby asked as students began to leave the room.

"Now? During lunch?" Weiss asked as she packed her books.

"Yup. It'll be fun. I'll go to the cafeteria, get some food as quick as I can and we'll all meet there, okay?" Ruby replied, a smile on her face "We'll make it a picnic"

"Sure, why not? Classes are done for the rest of the semester, anyway" Blake added.

"Then, I'll meet the two of you there since I have some questions I need to ask Doctor Oobleck" Weiss said as Ruby and Blake left her with the Doctor.

 **[/]**

Blake was lost in thought as she was making her way to her teammate's room, especially after what transpired the night before.

" _What do I even say to her after all that?_ " Blake thought to herself " _Should I apologize? I mean, I should, right? That would be the most logical step, after all. Yeah, okay… That's what-"_

The girl was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice the blonde figure in front of her before bumping into said figure, "Hmm? Ah, you're Mordred's teammate. Blake, right?"

"Hmm? Oh, right… I am. You're her sister, Arthuria, right?" Blake responded "Sorry about that"

"It's alright. No harm done. Are you here to visit my sister?" the girl asked as Blake responded with a nod "Thank you"

"Why are you thanking me?" Blake asked, a downcast expression on her face "If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't even be there in the first place. If I was… If I had just been a better teammate to her, then none of this would have happened in the first place"

"Blake, it's alright" Arthuria said, interrupting the Faunus with a hand on her shoulder "I don't blame you for what happened. Neither does Mordred. Besides, she's a smart girl. In fact, she'll probably tell you that she did what she did because she was bored or something along those lines. She would probably get mad and threaten to 'smash their face in' if anyone were to suggest otherwise"

"That certainly sounds like her" Blake said with a chuckle after a few seconds.

"It does, doesn't it? That's why you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. I'm sure, if anything, she doesn't blame you for what happened" Arthuria replied.

"Thank you" Blake responded before Arthuria said her goodbyes and went back to her dorm. Taking a deep breath, Blake finally opened the door to Mordred's room to find her teammate lying on her bed as she gazed outside her window, the midday sun shining overhead. On the small table beside was a plate filled with slices of apples.

"What, did you forget something?" the girl asked, not bothering to look at Blake's direction. When Blake didn't answer, the blonde turned around to face her, "What, you suddenly turned mute or-"

"Hey there, Mordred" Blake said with a weak smile.

"Oh… Belladona… It's just you…" Mordred responded before she turned to look back out the window "Ruby and the Ice Queen not coming?"

"They'll be here later. They had some stuff to take care of before coming here" Blake said as she took a seat on a chair beside the girl's bed.

"Geez. Talk about selfish. I mean, what could be more important than visiting an injured teammate, am I right?" Mordred joked.

"Selfish, huh? I guess you're right…" Blake said. A few more seconds of silence continued before Blake spoke up, "Mordred, I-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, you idiot" Mordred said, cutting her teammate off "Knowing you, you were probably gonna say something stupid like 'it's my fault' or 'none of this would have happened in the first place if I bla bla bla' or worse, apologize"

"Well, yes. I was going to-"

"And like I told the old man last night, this was all my decision. I got hurt because I chose to fight, not because you forced you me to. It's common sense, Belladona" Mordred said with a tone full of certainty.

Blake stared at her teammate for a few seconds, the girl having been rendered speechless, before a chuckle escaped her lips, "I suppose your sister was right, after all"

"Huh? What the hell do you mean by that?" Mordred asked, a scowl on her face.

"I met with your sister before I came in here… She predicted what you'd say if I tried to apologize word for word" Blake answered with a small laugh.

"Tch… That idiot needs to mind her own business" Mordred replied as she crossed her arms.

"Knock, knock" came a voice from a door as it slid open to reveal the other two members of Team RWBM, a small picnic basket in the young team leader's hand "Hope we weren't interrupting anything"

"Hey there, Red" Mordred said with a wave "Ice Queen"

"Hmph. Even an injury does not cure that foul personality of yours, does it?" Weiss responded as she and Ruby walked over to the blondes' bed "So, how are you feeling? What did the Doctor say?"

"Could be worse, I suppose. The Doc' said my aura was pretty much out when that bastard stabbed me so it's gonna leave a scar. Wanna check it out?" Mordred asked and, without even waiting for an answer, the girl lifted her gown to reveal a cross shaped scar on the lower left side of her stomach "Pretty cool, huh?"

Blake and Weiss recoiled a bit at the sight of their teammate's injury before Weiss spoke, "Is that your definition of cool?"

"That. Is. AWESOME!" Ruby suddenly shouted, shocking her teammates before recollecting her thoughts "I mean, the way you got it wasn't awesome but, you know, that scar definitely looks cool"

"Heh heh… I knew you'd get it, Ruby!" Mordred responded with a high five to her leader "You're not like these nerds"

"Oh, that's right. Mordred, have you had anything to eat yet? Because I've brought some food from the cafeteria" Ruby said, suddenly remembering the picnic basket in her hand. Opening it up, she revealed the contents within to be a few pieces of cookies, sandwiches, pizza, and sushi.

"Those sandwiches… Are they…?" Blake asked, letting the question linger in the

"Sorry, Blake. They were out of tuna. These are sardine sandwiches" Ruby replied much to the Faunus's dismay.

"Blegh… I hate sardines but I suppose beggars can't be choosers" Blake said as she reluctantly picked a few sandwiches from Ruby's basket.

"What about you, Weiss? Hungry?" Ruby asked.

"Hmmm… Did you not think to pick anything healthy?" Weiss asked, frowning at her food choices.

"If it's healthy you want, you can have some of these apples" Mordred said, pointing at the plate beside her as she munched on a pizza.

"…Fine… Give them to me" the Heiress responded as she took the plate from the blonde's hand. The girls continued their idle chatter while having their lunch for a few more minutes before the door slid open once again, revealing the forms of Beacon's Headmaster as well as his blonde Deputy.

"Ah, Team RWBM. Wonderful. I was hoping to catch all four of you together" Ozpin said as he and Glynda stepped into the room, the Headmaster with a mug of coffee in hand.

"P-Professor Ozpin. Good afternoon" Weiss greeted as she hastily stood up, coincidentally the only one of her team to do so.

"It's quite alright, Miss Schnee. You can sit back down and continue your lunch" the Headmaster said with a small chuckle.

"Thank you, Professor" Weiss replied "To what do we owe the honour of your visit, Professor?"

"Well, aside from me checking on the wellbeing of one of my students, I am also here to deliver judgment on the four of you" Ozpin answered, as he took a sip of coffee to allow his statement to linger in the air a minute longer than necessary "As I said last night, even though Miss Pendragon and Miss Belladona along with Mr Wukong thwarted the efforts of Roman Torchwick and his associates, you still went against school rules to do so"

All of a sudden, all four members of Team RWBM seemed to have mysteriously lost their appetite.

"So what you're saying is that we'll be celebrated as heroes, right?" Mordred joked in an attempt to save the situation at hand. Her answer came in the form of a crack of Glynda's whip not a moment later, an action that caused the young blonde to turn pale.

"On the contrary, Miss Pendragon, the four of you will be attending counselling sessions with the good Doctor Oobleck starting from next semester every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each sessions will start at six-thirty in the evening and will last an hour" the Headmaster informed the four girls, who seemed relieve at such light sentence "Additionally, because of their actions last night and since Miss Pendragon decided to destroy school property by quite literally kicking down a door, both she and Miss Belladona will have to attend an hour's worth of detention every Friday starting from seven-thirty pm"

"B-but that's-" Mordred started to protest before another crack of Glynda's whip silenced the girl. Understanding the implication from further protest, the young girl wisely shut her mouth.

"Is that clear, girls?" the Headmaster asked as he scanned the team in front of him.

"Yes, professor" the girls replied as they hung their head in shame.

"Grr… This is all _your_ fault, Belladona!" Mordred shouted as she punched the girl's arm.

"Mine?! You were the one that kicked down the door!" Blake countered.

"Yeah, well… If you had even half a brain, you could have saved yourself from being expelled and I wouldn't have needed to kick down a stupid door now, would I?"

Ruby, meanwhile, could only stare at the antics of her teammates as they literally butted heads at the moment. Instead of stopping the shouting contest between them, the young team leader responded with a giggle before it turned into a fit of laughter. Seeing their leader laugh at their current situation, both Mordred and Blake couldn't help but join in as well.

"Children. I'm pretty sure I've been put into a team with children" Weiss thought aloud although even she could not help the small smile that had formed on her face.

 **[Later that night, somewhere in Vale]**

"Goddamn kids!" Roman shouted as he smashed a wooden crate into pieces "I swear, if I see them in front of me again, I'm going to-"

"Lose again? You were doing that quite excellently last night, dear thief" Sasaki quipped as he tended to his weapon nearby.

"Yeah? Well you weren't doing so hot yourself last night, ponytail, when Goodwitch showed up" Roman countered as he placed a cigar in his mouth "Seriously, what's up with my luck lately?! First that stupid Red bitch messes up my heist and now this. Goddamn it!"

"Yes, your recent string of failures is surprising, isn't it?" Sasaki added "The vixen will not be happy with this"

"Yeah, well… She's never happy, is she?"

"On the contrary, Roman, I am happy when there is a reason to be" a voice came from nearby. Shocked, Roman saw a silhouette appear by the entrance of the warehouse "And this recent development of yours certainly is not one of them"

"C-Cinder! So glad you could make it. How was the ride here? Not bumpy, I hope" Roman said, hastily trying to salvage the situation at hand.

"Heh… What a pathetic attempt at trying to save his own life" came a voice from behind the raven haired beauty as two more figures show up. One of them, the owner of the voice, was a young boy with hair of silvery grey wearing a grey and black jacket, black pants and a normal pair of shoes.

"I know, right? What a sad look for the guy" the other figure said. This one was a girl with brown skin, dark red eyes while sporting a light, mint-green fringe. Her attire of choice came in the form of an olive and white coloured crop top along with white pants and brown chaps.

"Shut up, kids. The adults are talking" Roman hissed before Cinder appeared mere inches before his face.

"Now, now… No need to snap at them like that. After all, they haven't failed me like you have, Roman" the woman said as she held a palm of fire in front of his face. The action caused the master thief to sweat a little before Cinder spoke once more "Would you like some help lighting that cigar?"

"Uh… Y-yeah, sure… Thanks…" Roman said, expecting the worst only for it to never come.

"At ease, Roman. I'd have been furious at your failures last night were it not for the fact that we are moving to the next phase of our plans" Cinder said, as she moved away from the thief.

"N-next phase, huh? Mind telling me what that is?" Roman asked before regretting it a moment later.

"Now, now, Roman… All in good time" Cinder replied as a flame quite literally burned in her eyes, the threat clear as day to the thief.

"R-right, my bad…" Roman replied.

"Regardless, another associate of mine will be arriving before the month's end. I do hope you'll be there to greet him as I'll be much too busy with preparations of my own" Cinder added.

"Got a picture of this associate of yours, at least? Would make my job easier" Roman asked before Cinder tossed a scroll to the man. Opening it, the device showed the picture of an old man sporting slicked back white hair with a single strand hanging over his right eye in addition to having a moustache "An old man? Well, you're the boss"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And with this, the short arc officially comes to a wrap. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I also hope you guys enjoyed the conclusion as well as the short epilogue at the end there. Ten points to the first person who can guess Cinder's new associate.**

 **Next chapter will be the start of the 1 week Semester break. Got an original storyline planned for it so stay tuned. Hope you guys like what I have planned.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	13. Chapter 13

**[Noon, Beacon Airstrip]**

"Didn't we do this already?" Mordred asked, trying her best to squirm out of the hug she was currently receiving from her team leader. Looking at the rest of her team with eyes pleading for any sort of assistance, the blonde asked, "A little help here?"

"Hey, she's your partner. You deal with it" Blake replied, a smug grin on her face as she said so.

"Tch. Way to be a team player, Blake" Mordred said before Weiss proceeded to break the hug.

"Alright, Ruby. I enjoy seeing Mordred's look of distress as much as the next person but the bullhead will be leaving soon" Weiss said as Ruby finally let go of her partner.

"She's right, Rubes. Besides, the break's only for a week. You won't be gone that long" Mordred continued.

"I know but I can't help it, you know? Thinking back on it, this past semester has been pretty crazy" Ruby replied.

"Well, hey… At least you'll have sunshine here to cheer you up" Mordred added, pointing at Weiss.

"Yes. Such a shame the two of you couldn't accept Ruby's invitation to stay at her place" Weiss said to the side.

"It's not my fault the old man decided we couldn't leave Vale for the break. If anything, the fault lies in miss Kitty Cat over here" Mordred answered.

"Well, you two have fun. Stay safe and don't get into trouble, you hear?" Ruby replied as she and Weiss entered the nearby Bullhead.

"It's nice to see you actually have friends that like you enough to invite you to their home instead of simply tolerating your presence" Arthuria said, as she suddenly appeared beside Mordred.

"Hmph. You better get going or else the ride's gonna leave without you" Mordred replied, not even bothering to glance at her sister.

"I suppose you really can't come with me back home, then?" Arthuria asked, a small smile on her face.

"Like I said, the old man has me trapped here for the next week" Mordred replied with a shrug "Nothing I can do about that"

"I suppose" Arthuria replied, a look of disappointment etched on her face, something which Mordred did not fail to notice.

"What about you? I thought you of all people would be the last person who'd wanna go back there" Mordred asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Can't be helped. I was summoned, after all" Arthuria answered.

"Hmph. Guess you were" Mordred said with a frown "Well, whatever. Not my problem. Tell the old hag I wish her a painful death"

"Don't get into any more trouble than you're already in, alright?" Arthuria said, as she made to hug her sister before Mordred held a hand out.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, sister. We're not there yet" Mordred replied before Arthuria looked at Blake.

"Blake. Look after her for me, will you?"

"That sounds like an impossible task but I'll certainly try my best" Not long after, Beacon's airstrip was silent once more, with the students who have chosen to stay at Beacon for the break going back to their dorms.

"So, you wanna grab some lunch?" Mordred asked as the two girls made their way towards the cafeteria.

 **[Beacon Cafeteria]**

"So, any plans for the next week?" Mordred asked as she took another bite out of the bacon in front of her.

"Not really, no" Blake answered as she flipped a page on the book in her hands.

"Hmm…" Mordred hummed as she stared a hole through her teammate.

"What?" Blake asked, closing her book as she narrowed her eyes at the blonde in front of her.

"Don't you have anything fun in mind? Something that doesn't involve staring at the remnants of a dead tree while hallucinating vividly" Mordred asked.

Blake was slightly taken aback at the girl's random description regarding reading a book before she sighed, "You obviously have something on your mind. You might as well ask it now"

"Heh heh. Well, if you insist" Mordred said, a victorious grin on her face "How about you and I stay a few nights at Kairi's place?"

"Kairi?"

"Yeah. You know, the guy whose place we broke into while we were investigating the White Fang? That Kairi?"

"Oh, right. That friend of yours" Blake answered, her memory coming back to her "Tempting but it's a hard pass for me"

"Oh, come on. It'll be fun" Mordred protested.

"Somehow, I doubt that very much" Blake replied with a deadpan look.

Pushing her plate of food to the side, Mordred continued "Look, we can do all the things you like. We can talk about boys, braid our hair. Maybe get some mani, pedi. Huh? What do you say, kitty cat? Let's enjoy the time of our youth a little"

Annoyed at her teammates pestering, Blake let out a heavy sigh before giving her answer, "Alright, fine. I'll go with you if you promise to not do any of those things you just suggested"

"Ha ha. Score!" Mordred shouted, raising a fist of victory into the air "We leave tonight, you hear me?"

"Fine. Whatever. Now can you please let me read in peace for the next few hours, please?" Blake asked.

"Heh. Whatever floats your goat, friend" Mordred replied with a toothy grin. Silence followed for a few minutes as Mordred continued with her lunch and Blake with her book before the blonde spotted a certain redheaded champion eating her lunch all alone.

"Hmm? Isn't that Nikos?" Mordred asked.

"Seems like it" Blake answered, glancing towards where Mordred was looking "Guess her team's gone for the week, too"

"Heh. That's perfect" Mordred said before standing up "Yo, Nikos! Nikos! Over here!"

Shocked at her name suddenly being called out, Pyrrha looked around the cafeteria for the source of the voice before finally zeroing in on the culprit. Surprised at who was shouting her name, the redhead looked around her surroundings once more before pointing at herself, confusion etched on her face.

"Yeah, you. I'm talking to you, Nikos. You see anyone else named Nikos around here?" Mordred asked as she waved the redhead over "Come on over here. Saved you a seat!"

"As obnoxious as ever, I see" Blake said, her eyes not leaving the book as Pyrrha reached their table before taking a seat next to Mordred.

"Hello again" Pyrrha said in greeting, a bright smile on her face, as she set her plate of food down in front of her.

"So, what's up? Why are you eating alone?" Mordred asked as she pointed a fork at the redhead.

"My team all went back home for the week" Pyrrha replied with a shrug.

"Ah, that sucks. Why didn't you?" Mordred continued.

"I… didn't really feel like it, to be honest" Nodding her head in understanding, Mordred dropped the subject at that.

"Anyway, you got any plans for the next week?"

"Not particularly" Pyrrha replied, a finger on her chin.

"That's perfect!" Mordred exclaimed, an excited look on her face.

"It… it is? How so?" Pyrrha asked, startled at the blonde's sudden excitement.

"Because that means you can join me and little miss socialite here on our sleepover at a friend's place in Vale. Duh" Mordred explained as if Pyrrha had just asked the dumbest question possible.

"I wouldn't recommend it, to be honest" Blake said, not even bothering to look up from her book.

"Psh. Don't listen to her. So, what do you say? I mean, you could just go back to your room and be by yourself for the next week or you could spend it with your friends" Mordred continued as Pyrrha looked between her and Blake.

"Friends?" Pyrrha perked up suddenly at the word "You consider me a friend? But we haven't spoken to each other much"

"You listening to this girl, Blake?" Mordred asked as Blake didn't even bother to reply "Come on, Nikos, of course we're friends. I mean, we got our assess kicked by you so many times in class that we might as well be"

"I wasn't that… good" Pyrrha countered as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"So, what do you say? You in or you out?"

"Well, I suppose it is much better than spending the next week alone so… Yes, I'm in" Pyrrha replied.

"Awesome. Pack your bags, ladies, because we leave tonight!" Mordred announced before taking her tray of food and throwing it into the nearest trashcan. Without missing a beat, the girl then proceeded to sprint out of the cafeteria, leaving the two girls to their own devices.

"She's incredibly… energetic, isn't she?" Pyrrha thought aloud as she continued with her lunch.

"I suppose if you want to be polite about it then yes, she's very energetic" Blake said as she continued with her book.

 **[Evening, Downtown Vale]**

"Make yourselves at home. Pyrrha, since you're new here, the shower's on the second floor as are our bedrooms" Mordred said as she opened the fridge.

"Are you sure your friend doesn't mind us just barging in like this? It seems kind of… rude, don't you think?" Pyrrha asked, as she toured the inside of the weapons shop hesitantly.

"Relax, Nikos. I already told him we're staying here for a few nights. It's not like we're breaking and entering or anything"

"Unlike last time" Blake added as she went ahead to the second floor to unpack her bags.

"W-well, if you say so…" Pyrrha replied as she trailed after Blake with Mordred following closely behind.

"Alright, ladies. Freshen yourselves up and get dressed. We are going to live it up tonight!" Mordred announced as she threw her bag on a nearby bed.

"I don't like the sound of that" Blake spoke up as she shared a look with Pyrrha.

"Neither do I" Pyrrha added with a frown.

"Come on, girls. Have I ever led you two stray before?" Mordred asked before proceeding to cut off the other two from answering "No, right? So, that settles it. We're going out tonight"

"Do you mind if I ask where we're going?" Pyrrha asked with a raised hand.

"Heh. You girls ever see that movie 'Fight Club'?" Mordred asked, a nasty grin on her face.

"I'm starting to think being alone for the next week was the better choice" Pyrrha said, looking towards Blake.

"You and me, both" answered the cat faunus.

 **[/]**

"This is where the underground fight club is?" Blake asked, an unconvinced look on her face as she stared at the coffee shop in front of her. For the night out, the faunus had chosen to wear a white long sleeved jacket over a black top with white accents with black pants and a pair of black and white sneakers.

"It is a little underwhelming, I agree" Pyrrha added from the side. The redhead, meanwhile, had chosen a white top with gold accents along with a pair of bracers while also sporting a dark red skirt and a pair of red leather boots over black socks.

"That's because we haven't gone in yet, obviously" Mordred countered. The blonde, meanwhile, had chosen the colour red as her theme tonight, made obvious by the red long sleeved coat that she wore over a black shirt while also sporting a pair of red pants and finally, a pair of black sneakers. To top it all off, the blonde even wore a pair of black gloves "Besides, who would ever suspect a coffee shop to be home to an underground fight club?"

Blake and Pyrrha continued to stare at the shop in front of them before looking back at the weapons shop where they came from.

"You know, when you told us about this place, I assumed it was going to be further away and not literally next door to the place we'll be sleeping at for the next few days" Blake added as Mordred led the two girls inside.

"Heh. That's me. Always full of surprises" Mordred replied as the three girls stepped inside the shop. The inside of it was resembled most cafes, a few tables and chairs with a counter at the back. The counter had on display a few cakes, sweets, and other kinds of desert. The one manning the counter, however, did not fit the theme of the café at all.

"Oh? Mordred, is that you?" the man from behind the counter asked as he looked up from the newspaper in his hand. The man behind the counter had slicked back black hair, wore a simple black shirt and jeans. What caught the attention of Pyrrha and Blake, however, was the long scar running down the left side of his face.

"Hey, hey… Old man Murata. How's it going?" Mordred answered with a wave "Not dead yet, I see"

"Heh… Who do you think you're talking to, ya brat?" the man replied as the two bumped fists. It was then that he noticed the other two girls behind Mordred "Hmm? Friends of yours?"

"Yup. We have the week off from Beacon so I thought I'd show them some fun places to hang out, if you know what I mean" Mordred said.

"Heh. Of course" the man replied as he jerked his thumb to the back of the café "You know where the entrance is"

"Thanks, old man Murata. Let's go, you two" Mordred said with a wave.

 **[/]**

"Where in the world have you brought us, Mordred?" Blake asked as the three girls weaved themselves through a rowdy crowd. Arriving underneath the café, Blake and Pyrrha were surprised to find the gathering of such a large crowd

"I told you already, it's an underground fight club" Mordred said as she pointed at what looked to be a steel cage. From within the steel cage, Pyrrha and Blake both saw two people fighting.

"She certainly keeps… colourful company, doesn't she?" Pyrrha noted as they reached the bar.

"Yo, barkeep!" Mordred shouted as she signalled the bartender "Three of your cheapest drinks, please"

"Here you go" the bartender said as he brought three small glasses of brown liquid over to the three Huntresses-in-training.

"So, what do you think of the place?" Mordred asked as she took a sip of her drink.

"How'd you find this place, anyway?" Blake asked as she surveyed her surroundings.

"Hung out here a lot before I went to Beacon" the blonde answered with a shrug before she noticed Pyrrha focusing on the fight from inside the cage "Heh. Pyrrha, you wanna get a closer look?"

"Huh? Oh… No, I'm fine…" Pyrrha replied, as she took a nervous sip of her drink before regretting it instantly, if the expression on her face was any indication.

"Come on, don't be shy. You're already here so might as well make the most of it" Mordred countered as she took the redhead's hand "Blake, you coming?"

"Hard pass" the Faunus replied.

"Suit yourself" Mordred replied with a frown as she and Pyrrha went to take a closer look at the ongoing action.

"Ho ho… Not planning to enjoy yourself, little miss?" a voice asked all of a sudden, catching Blake's attention. Turning to the source of the voice, Blake was mildly surprised to see an old man sitting at the corner of the bar all by himself with only his drink to accompany him.

"It's an understatement but this place is hardly my cup of tea" Blake replied, noting that if she could describe the appearance of the old man in front of her in one word, it would be 'dapper'. With his slicked back white hair along with his black suit, black scarf, black gloves, and black pants, the old man certainly looked like he did not belong in this sort of place. Blake then noticed a book in front of the old man, "And you? Judging from the book in front of you, I'd say this isn't your usual hangout, either"

"Quite perceptive of you" the old man replied with a chuckle "No, this usually isn't the type of establishment I usually frequent but I am new to the city, you see, and I thought to, as the young ones say these days, 'check out the sights'"

Blake hummed at the old man's answer before she got up from her seat, "By any chance, is there a bathroom here?"

"Down there, to the left" the old man answered as Blake left the bar.

" _Jeez… What am I even doing here?"_ Blake thought to herself as she reached the bathroom door _"I should probably just wait for them to-"_

Blake didn't have time to finish her thought before she felt something sharp stick itself into her neck. Before she knew what had happened, she felt herself go limp before finally collapsing onto the floor.

"W-wha…" the girl tried to speak only to find she lacked the ability to do so, as she found her body had gone numb.

"Heh… That was easy" a voice said.

"Yeah. Now let's load her up. I'm sure some freak out there would pay a lot of money for a cat Faunus" another voice said before Blake felt herself being lifted onto someone's shoulders. The last thing the girl saw was the back of the old man she had just spoken to earlier before everything faded to black.

 **[/]**

"So, what do you think?" Mordred asked as she and Pyrrha kept their eyes glued to the action going on in front of them.

"They certainly have a... unique fighting style" the redhead answered, pausing for a moment before continuing "The way they fight is brutal but at the same time, there's technique in it"

"Technique? I suppose that's one way to put it" Mordred added "Down here, there's no flowery way to fight. You either win or you lose. Doesn't matter how get there as long as you get there"

"I can certainly see where you're coming from" Pyrrha replied, as the fight came to an end and the victor's hands were raised "It's not at all like the competition style of fighting I'm familiar with"

"Damn straight. Down here, there are no rules. Literally" Mordred said as the two girls turned around to return to their seats.

"Hmm? Where's Blake?" Pyrrha thought aloud as the two girls reached the bar.

"Probably just got bored and went back upstairs" Mordred suggested as she took a seat.

"I'll go check" Pyrrha said as she went back the way they came in.

"Cool. I'll be waiting here, then" Mordred replied as she took another sip of her drink. A few minutes later, Pyrrha returned with a worried expression on her face "Found her yet?"

"No. Mr Murata even said nobody's been up there ever since we came down here" Pyrrha answered as she immediately started scanning the room around her for any sign of Blake.

Frowning, Mordred got up and quickly shot towards the bathroom area before returning a few minutes later, her own search coming up empty, "She's not in the bathroom, men or women. You tried calling her scroll yet?"

"I have and it's been turned off" Pyrrha replied as the distress on her face grew.

"Damn it. Where on Remnant are you, you stupid cat?" Mordred cursed, as she started to pace.

"Ahem. I believe I may be of help, ladies" a voice suddenly called out to the two girls. Turning around, Mordred and Pyrrha saw an old man seated at the end of the bar, a book in his hand.

"Huh? Who the hell are you, old man?" Mordred asked, immediately suspicious at the old man for suddenly offering his help like this.

"My, a crass one, aren't you?" the old man thought aloud with a chuckle as he rubbed his gray moustache "This friend of yours, Blake… She wouldn't happen to be a Faunus, would she?"

"What's it to-"

"Yes, she is!" Pyrrha answered immediately, cutting Mordred off "Have you seen her? Do you know where she might have gone?"

"More than seen her, I happened to have quite a pleasant chat with the young lady. Although, I seem to remember seeing her being escorted out of here by a few of her friends" the old man replied with a finger on his chin "The young lady did not look well, if memory serves"

"What do you mean 'friends'?! We're her friends, old man!" Mordred shouted "Damn it! How long ago was this?!"

"Hmmm… I'm not entirely sure but it was most likely not more than ten minutes ago" the old man answered once more.

"Shit! Pyrrha, let's go! If we hurry, we might just be able to catch whoever the hell has her before any of this gets worse" Mordred shouted.

"R-right. Let's go" Pyrrha nodded as the two girls turned towards the entrance.

"Ah, in that case, allow me to accompany the two of you" the old man said suddenly as he clasped his book shut and attempted to trail after the two students.

"Huh?! Why on Remnant would you bother doing that? Better yet, what makes you think we'd trust you to help us?!" Mordred asked, her gut basically screaming at her not to trust the old man in front of her.

"I suppose you could say it is my attempt to make up for the fact that I did not stop this from happening in the first place. It would be such a shame for something terrible to happen to the young lady" the old man replied as he picked up his cane nearby.

Mordred wanted to argue more but Pyrrha stopped the blonde from escalating the issue, "Mordred, there's no time. We need all the help we can get if we want to find Blake"

Mordred pondered the issue for a moment before clicking her tongue, "Fine. Whatever. Let's just find that stupid teammate of mine already"

"Splendid. Well then, shall we be on our way?" the old man thought aloud.

"Before that, got a name, old man?" Mordred asked as the three of them hurriedly exited the underground fight club.

"Hmm… I don't feel comfortable giving my name to strangers I barely know but I suppose the situation warrants it. You may call me Moriarty. Professor James Moriarty, to be exact"

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap on Chapter 13. Boy, I really liked writing the second half of this chapter. That being said, I hope you boys and girls out there like all the parts of this chapter.**

 **Next chapter, we see our main characters race around Vale to find their lost teammate before it's too late. With the help of the mysterious Professor, will they be able to solve it in one chapter? Who knows? Stay tuned to find out.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **P.S: Was listening to the One Piece Soundtrack "Overtaken" while writing the second half of this chapter. Oh man, that OST seriously gets your blood pumping.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	14. Chapter 14

**[Noon, Vale]**

"Damn it" Mordred curse as she punched the wall beside her "We've been at this for hours and we still haven't found her!"

"Have Mr. Takeda or Mr. Moriarty found anything yet?" Pyrrha asked from beside the blonde.

"Nothing yet. If they did, they're not telling me" Mordred replied as she checked her scroll for what felt like the tenth time in five minutes "Damn it, you stupid cat… Where the f**k are you?!"

"I'm sure she's fine, Mordred" Pyrrha said as she placed a hand on the blonde before Mordred whirled around to face her "What about Mr. Moriarty?"

"Nothing from him, either" Mordred replied as she stared at her scroll, hoping for a miracle "Is it just me or does that guy just scream suspicious?"

"It's definitely not just you" Pyrrha replied, thinking back on how quick the older gentleman was to assist the two girls in their search for Blake "Either way, I'm certain it's only a matter of time before we find Blake"

"That's just it. What if we don't?! What if something terrible is happening right now?! She could be sold into an SDC mine, for all we know" Mordred shouted as she grabbed hold of Pyrrha's shoulders "That damn cat won't last a week in one of those death traps and it'll all be my fault! Argh! Ruby and Weiss are going to-"

"Mordred, calm down!" Pyrrha shouted back in an attempt to calm the panicking blonde. Seeing that her attempts are futile, the redhead then proceeded to deliver a sharp slap towards the blonde "There. Are you feeling better now?"

Mordred rubbed the spot where the girl just slapped her before she came back to her senses, "Y-yeah… Feeling a little sore but… I'm good"

"Good. Now that we've cleared our heads, let's think back on where she might have been taken to" Pyrrha suggested.

"Got it. Sorry about before. I… don't perform well under pressure" Mordred said.

"Nothing to apologize for. You were worried about your friend, after all"

"It's like when something like this happens, my brain just shuts down, you know? I remember this one time when we were kids" Mordred said, going into a flashback all of a sudden "Me and Weiss, we-"

"You mean 'Weiss and I', Mordred" Pyrrha said, cutting the blonde off.

"What?"

"What you just said… 'Me and Weiss' is not grammatically correct" Pyrrha replied, pausing a for a moment before continuing "The correct way to put it would have been 'Weiss and I'"

Mordred simply stared at the redhead for a few more seconds, her head unable to form any words, as Pyrrha stared back with a small smile.

"…Okay. Weiss and _I_ " Mordred said, stressing that last part "When we were kids, we- Okay, you know what? I'm not gonna tell the story anymore. You ruined the mood"

Before Pyrrha could say anything more, Mordred's scroll rang.

"Wait, shut up. It's old man Takeda" Mordred said before answering the call "Old man Takeda, you found anything yet?"

" _My boys found something. They're not a hundred percent certain but your friend could have been taken to the docks"_ the veteran huntsman said from the other line.

"The docks? Are you serious?! Why is shit always going down over there?!" Mordred replied.

" _Your guess is as good as mine, kid. Anyway, there's a ship docked there now but the thing is, the company that owns it don't exist" replied the huntsman "Not only that, but people in the area have said that they've seen a couple of black vans coming in and out of there ever since it docked in Vale a few days back"_

"Hmm… It's not much to go on but it's better than nothing. Thanks, old man Takeda" Mordred said before she hopped on a bike "Sorry again for taking your bike like that. I promise I won't wreck it… this time"

" _It's fine, kid. You're looking for your friend, after all. Anyway, you better get moving fast. Word is, they'll be leaving Vale tonight"_

"Tonight, huh? Then I guess we don't have time to lose. Thanks, old man. I'll pay you back for this one day, I swear" Mordred said before she ended the call "Pyrrha, hop on. We've got a cat to save"

"Where are we going?" Pyrrha asked as she revved the engine.

"The docks" Mordred answered as the two girls sped off into the night.

 **[/]**

The first thing Blake noticed when she regained consciousness was that she was being carried on someone's shoulder. The second thing she noticed was that she did not recognize who it was that was carrying her or her current location.

"W-wha… What's going… on?" Blake managed to say, albeit in a slur.

"Great. Now she's awake" a female voice said from somewhere nearby "Now what do we do?"

"What else is there to do? Throw her in with the rest of the garbage on this ship" a male voice answered. Before the faunus could figure out what he meant by that, the sound of a metal ground. Groaning in pain, it took the girl a few minutes before she could finally regain her footing.

By then, however, the door had firmly shut behind her and the room was cast in total darkness. Luckily for her, she was a faunus and that meant natural night vision. Scanning the immediate space in front of her, the girl noted that the room wasn't as small as she initially thought. A stack of crates was placed against the wall and on top of that, it was easily two times the size of her dorm back in Beacon.

"Weapons? Gone. No surprise there" Blake said to herself as she patted her body "Right. Now to figure out where the hell I am and what the fu-"

Her train of thought was immediately cut off as the stack of crates behind her suddenly fell to the ground, causing the girl to jolt in surprise before immediately turning around and assuming a fighting stance.

"Who's there?!" she shouted. Receiving no response, the student cautiously and slowly made her way to the source of the mess. Getting closer, the girl then took a deep breath before, in an attempt to seize the initiative over whoever was in the room with her, she pounced over the crates and was about to land her attack before abruptly stopping, "Wha-?! Children?!"

To her surprise and absolute horror, what stood before her, trembling in fear, where three children, each with a number of bruises on their body. One of them – a boy – was glaring at her, hands stretched to the sides to protect the other two behind him.

"P-please… D-don't hurt us… We d-didn't mean to scare you, ma'am…" one of the two behind the boy – a girl this time – said with a shaky voice.

"W-we didn't mean t-to drop the b-boxes, ma'am…" said the other one – a girl, as well – in a trembling voice.

Seeing who she was up against, Blake let out a breath she didn't even realize she was holding.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, alright?" Blake said, as she took a step towards the children.

"Liar!" the boy shouted, his glare not letting up one bit "You're one of them, aren't you?! You're just trying to trick us like before!"

"What-? No, I'm not whoever you think I am" Blake replied as she brought her hands up defensively "Look, I was kidnapped and brought here, just like you. Okay?"

Having said that, she noticed that the boy began to relax, albeit just a tiny bit. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "My friends are probably looking for me right now but we can't just rely on them. I'm gonna try and find us a way out of here, okay?"

 **[Beacon Docks]**

"So, we're here. Now what?" Mordred asked as she and Pyrrha got off the motorcycle.

"Mr Takeda said that these people operate from a ship, right? Let's start from there" Pyrrha suggested.

"This is a dock, Pyrrha. There's bound to be more than one ship right now" Mordred countered.

"Well, actually…" Pyrrha said as she gestured around the dock which, fortunately for the girls, only housed one ship at the moment.

"Huh. Funny how I didn't realize that until after you pointed it out" Mordred said before she took out her scroll.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling down our lockers, obviously. What, were you gonna go in there unarmed?" Mordred asked, as she finished typing on her scroll.

"Hmm, hmm… That is a splendid idea, young miss" came the voice of James Moriarty, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere.

The two girls jumped back in surprise, more than a little startled by his sudden appearance.

"Wha-?! Where the f**k did you come from, old man?" Mordred asked "And how did you know that we were coming here, anyway?"

"Why, simple deduction, of course" the old man replied in a confident and unwavering tone "That and, just like your friends, I have my own information network throughout the city"

"Hmm… Mighty convenient, isn't it?" Mordred said, as she squinted her eyes at the old man in front of her.

"Indeed it is" Moriarty replied. Before any more words could be said, Mordred and Pyrrha's weapon lockers came crashing down next to them a few seconds later.

"Well, whatever. We can talk about this later" Morded replied as she and Pyrrha hurriedly grabbed their gear.

"You're not going to put your armor on?" Pyrrha asked

"Nah, not this time. It'll just slow me down. We need to move fast, after all" Mordred answered.

"Quite right. Time is of the essence, after all, and if we're to save your young friend from whatever predicament she is currently in, we'll need to be quick about it" Moriarty added, himself brandishing a cane with a golden chameleon as its' handle, as the three of them reached the ship's ramp.

"Blaaaaaaaaake!" Mordred shouted at the top of her lungs "Hang in there! We're coming to rescue you right now!"

"…And with that, consider our element of surprise gone" Pyrrha said with a sigh.

"Ah, don't sweat it, Pyr. With how things were going, I doubt it was going to help us much, anyway" Mordred replied, as the three of them sprinted up the ship's ramp and onto the deck.

"Blake, are you here or aren't you?! Can you hear us?!" Mordred shouted once more "If you can't, it doesn't matter! We're coming for you, anyway!"

"Yo, what the f**k?! Who let a bunch of kids and an old man onto the ship?!" a voice shouted from above the three.

"Someone f**king left the ramp there" another voice replied "Whose fault was that?!"

"Don't look at me, it was Jerry's turn to put it away today" a third voice answered.

"Gods damn it, Jerry! Can't you do anything right?!" the first voice shouted back.

"S-sorry. Yup, is my bad" a fourth voice – presumably belonging to Jerry – answered.

"You're damn right it's your bad. Now get down there and take care of those clowns. Idiot!" the second voice ordered "See, this is why your father-in-law hates you!"

"W-what is going on right now?" Pyrrha asked, looking at Mordred.

"Maybe this is a rehearsed comedy skit?" Mordred suggested with a shrug before an amused grin appeared on the blonde's face "What's more confusing is the fact that Blake was caught by a bunch of idiots like these. I mean, wasn't she part of the White Fang – a literal terrorist group – at one point?"

"She was?" Pyrrha asked, surprise on her face.

"Oh, right. Crap. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about that. Could you do me a favor and _not_ tell her that you know. Cool? Cool"

Before Pyrrha could answer, one of the doors in front of them suddenly exploded, knocking it to the sky, startling all three of them.

"What the f**k was that?!" Mordred asked. Her question was answered a moment later as a giant of a man came out, with an equally giant hammer in his right hand.

"Hey now, youz guys shouldn't be here. It's private property, 'fter all" the man said as he hefted his hammer onto his shoulders with a grunt.

"I do apologize about that, good sir." Moriarty said as he took a step forward "But, you see, we are in search of a young girl. A cat Faunus by the name of Blake. We have reason to believe that she might be on this ship at this very moment. Have you seen her? Additionally, am I right to assume that you are Jerry?"

"Don't know nothin' about no Faunus, old man. Like ah said before, this here's private property and right now, youz guys are trespassing" he replied "And yeah, tha's right, I am Jerry"

"Tch, fine. If we have to knock this big oaf down, then let's-" the blonde's words were cut off as Moriarty placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Now, now. Remember what I said? Time is of the essence and we shouldn't delay your friend's rescue any longer. You girls go on ahead while I deal with this lovely gentleman" Moriarty suggested, earning surprised looks from Mordred and Pyrrha.

"Are you crazy, old man? Have you seen the size of this guy?" Mordred asked.

"Mordred's right, Mr Moriarty. We have a better chance of beating him if we work together"

"Normally, I would agree with you, if our objective was to defeat our foe in front of us. Unfortunately, it is not. Rescuing your friend and teammate, that is our original objective" Moriarty countered before flashing the girls a sly grin "To add to that, you girls should also learn not to underestimate anyone, me in particular, by their looks"

Mordred and Pyrrha shared a look between the two of them before nodding, "Alright, old man. If you're so confident, then I hope you won't mind if we just went ahead"

Dashing towards the entrance into the ship, the giant Jerry entered a battle stance, ready to crush the two of them into dust, "Where d'you think you're going, huh?!"

"Now, now. Let's leave the two maidens alone and face each other, as they say, mano a mano" Moriarty said, suddenly appearing beside Jerry before delivering a devastating blow to the side of his face, an impact that left the man staggering.

"Oh, not bad, old man. Well, good luck" Mordred said before she and Pyrrha disappeared into the ship.

"A'right, old man. What's the big idea?" Jerry asked as he steadied himself from Moriarty's earlier impact.

"Hmm? Whatever do you mean, good sir?" Moriarty asked as he flashed his opponent as innocent looking smile.

"You're the one who told us to kidnap those kids and sell 'em on the market. So, what gives?"

"Ah, that. Well, I'm afraid that circumstances have forced a change in plans, dear Jerry"

"What does that mean?!" Jerry shouted, agitation in his voice.

"It means that I no longer require the services of you or your crew" Moriarty responded.

"Fine, then. Guess this means ah won' get in trouble if I kill you!" the man shouted, raising his hammer up high into the air before sending it crashing back down where his older opponent was standing. With a sly smirk, Moriarty swiftly jumped back to avoid the devastating impact.

"Come, now. I'm sure you could do better than that" the old man said, taunting his foe with a 'bring it' gesture.

"Oh, ah'm gonna enjoy this!" Jerry shouted once more as he resumed his assault. Unfortunately for him, Moriarty was just too quick on his feet as he swiftly dodged each and every single swing of the man's hammer. This exchange went on for a couple more minutes before the kidnapper started to show obvious signs of fatigue.

"Well, this has been fun but alas, I have places I need to be" Moriarty stated before delivering a flurry of attacks on his opponent's body using his cane. Seeing his opponent was unconscious, the professor then made his way towards the ships' interior.

That was the plan, anyway, before he easily dodged a crate that had been flung his way.

"Where d'you think… you're going… old man?!" Jerry asked, panting heavily "We ain't… finished yet…"

"So uncivilized" Moriarty noted with a sigh and a shake of his head.

 **[Inside the ship]**

"Blaaaaake! Where are you?!" came the all too familiar obnoxious voice that she's learned to hate these past few months from the other side of the door.

"Is that…?" Blake muttered to herself as she immediately pressed her ear against her only exit.

"Blake, if you're here, say something!" came another familiar voice, one she was much happier to hear.

"Pyrrha! Mordred!" Blake shouted from within the darkened room as she banged on the door "I'm in here!"

"Mordred, there! That door over there!" Pyrrha shouted.

"You're sure?!" she could hear Mordred ask.

"Mordred! Pyrrha!" Blake shouted as she banged on the steel door "I'm in here!"

"Alright. Step back, Red. I got this" was the last thing Blake heard from her teammate.

"Wait, Mordred… What are you-" Blake's confusion immediately turned into surprise as she heard something – or in this case, someone – crashing against the other side of the door.

"Oww…" came the pained groan of her teammate "Well, that didn't work. You got a Plan B?"

"Mordred, if you had just been patient, I could have easily gotten Blake out of there" Pyrrha replied. A few seconds later, Blake noticed that the door began to crumple slightly before it was quite literally torn off its hinges, a black aura surrounding it, "There, see? Problem solved"

The sudden light from the outside blinded Blake as she need to take a few seconds to adjust her sight. Before that could happen, however, she found herself suddenly assaulted with a hug.

"There you are, you stupid cat" she hear Mordred say before receiving a smack on the back of her head "Something wrong with you head? There must be, if you let yourself get kidnapped so easily"

Before Blake could say anything in her defense, her reunion with her teammate was cut short when a voice said from inside the room, "U-um… Miss? Are these your friends?"

"That's right" Blake replied, looking at the three kids with a bright smile "It's okay, kids. These nice ladies will get you back to your home"

"Hey! You kids can't be down here!" a voice shouted from down the hallway, cutting off whatever the girls were about to say.

"Well, better make good on that promise, then" Mordred thought aloud as she hefted Clarent on her shoulders "Pyrrha, you take the back while I take the front. Sound good? Awesome"

Before anyone had any chance to voice their opinions, Mordred was already starting her assault.

 **[Later, Beacon Docks]**

"Well, all things considered, I think today went spectacularly" Mordred noted, as she, Pyrrha, and Blake stood amongst a dozen paramedics, firefighters, reporters, and police officers.

"Mordred, I was kidnapped" Blake retorted.

"Not to mention the amount of property damage we've just caused" Pyrrha added, gesturing to their surrounding area which included but was not limited to a ship that was practically half destroyed while the other half was on fire.

"Ah, you guys and your glass half empty mentality. Look on the bright side, at least Blake is safe and sound" Mordred responded with a nod.

"Probably shouldn't have said that" Blake said as she nudged her teammate "Look. Dock's entrance"

"What?" Mordred said, looking at where her teammate said to look before promptly choking on air at the sight of the Deputy Headmistress of Beacon rapidly making her way towards the three of them "Boy, if looks could kill, huh?"

"Mordred, shut up!" Blake hissed as Glynda Goodwitch stood in front of the three girls, her glare directed primarily at the blonde and the Faunus.

"Professor Goodwitch" Mordred said "How've you been?"

"Tell me something, Miss Pendragon" Glynda started "Why is it that when something happens around here, it's always you two?"

"Believe me, Professor, I've been asking myself that same question these past few months" Blake replied.

"I suppose I can't be too angry at you girls. After all, you did stop the kidnapping of three young children" Glynda said as she tried to rub her headache away, to no avail.

"Quite right, Professor Goodwith. Why, if it wasn't for these three brave girls, who knows what would have happened to those poor children" came the familiar voice of Moriarty who, like always, seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"Hmm? Professor Moriarty? What are you doing here?" Glynda asked, surprise in her voice.

"Professor, you know this old man?" Mordred asked, earning a sharp glare from the Deputy in return causing the young blonde to recoil a bit.

"I would ask that you treat him with respect, Miss Pendragon, for starting next semester until the end of the Vytal Festival, he is to be your new Professor in Logic Application and Politics" Glynda stated.

"Seriously?! You weren't lying about being a Professor?!" Mordred asked.

The old man chuckled in response, "Quite an energetic young student you have there, Professor Goodwitch. To answer your earlier question, I happened to come across these young ladies while they were in a bit of trouble, you see, and I saw no harm in offering my assistance"

"I see. Then, it's a good thing you were here, then. Thank you, Professor Moriarty" Glynda said with a slight bow.

"Think nothing of it and please, no need to be so formal. Since we're to be colleagues in the very near future, I'd prefer it if you just called me James" Moriarty said before turning his attention to Blake and handing the girl her weapon back "Additionally, I think this belongs to you, Miss Belladona"

"My weapon. Thank you, Professor"

"No thank necessary. I was only performing my duties, is all"

"Well, it has certainly been an eventful day. The bullhead is ready to take the three of you back to Beacon anytime although I _strongly_ suggest that all three of you ride back home _now_ "

"But all our stuff is still in-" Mordred made to argue but immediately thought against it as she saw the murderous look in the Deputy's eyes as the three girls scrambled towards the Bullhead.

"It's a week early but your room at Beacon is ready now, Prof- James. If you'd like, you're welcome to take the Bullhead to Beacon, as well" Glynda said.

"Many thanks, Professor, but I think I'll stay here for a bit more, just in case they need my help with anything. Despite how I may seem, I am still a professor Hunter, after all"

 **[Atlas Academy]**

"Attention!" came the voice of one specialist Winter Schnee as she stood on the stage overlooking four teams of students "Understand that your achievements have earned you the right to represent Atlas Academy in the upcoming Vytal Festival. However, just as you have earned that right does not mean it cannot be taken away. Therefore, I would like to make it clear now that _all_ of you are to be on your best behavior when you arrive at Beacon Academy next week, especially since the General himself will be there up until the end of the Vytal Festival. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am" came the unified response from the four teams of students in front of her.

"Very well. Dismissed" Winter said as she eyed the retreating forms of the second-year team that Atlas Academy had chosen. The second-year team who was most likely to cause a scene in Beacon and who most of the students in Atlas have predicted will win it all. The team that most students call "The Knights of Atlas".

 **[/]**

"So Weiss, how do you find Patch so far?" Ruby asked as she and Weiss were cleaning the dishes.

"It's very peaceful and relaxing. Not at all like how Beacon is" Weiss replied.

"Yup. That's Patch. Quiet and boring" Ruby added.

"Hey, have you girls seen the news?" came the voice of Taiyang Xiao-Long from the living room "Apparently some kids have been kidnapped in Vale and a few Beacon students put a stop to it. Happened just this evening"

"Oh, wow. That's amazing" Ruby thought aloud as her dad increased the volume on the tv.

"...Take it away, Lisa" came the voice from the tv.

"Thank you, John. We are coming to you live from the docks as standing beside me now is one of the three girls responsible for bringing this horrible operation to its end. If you could, miss, please tell us how this all came about"

"Yeah, well... It was all in a day's work. I mean, my friends and I..."

"Ruby, does that voice sound familiar to you?" Weiss asked as she turned her attention to the television in the other room.

"Hmm?" Ruby hummed as she poured herself a glass of milk "Now that you mention it, that does sound a lot like..."

"...then one thing led to another and now here we are, with a ship half destroyed and the other half on fire and the kids are all safe and sound" the voice from the tv said just as Ruby and Weiss appeared in the living room.

Ruby, however, had no time to process what was going on before she spat out the glass of milk she was drinking while Weiss herself could only stare at the tv screen in shock.

"MORDRED?!" the two girls exclaimed in surprise at the same time.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: First of all, I would like to sincerely apologize for taking so goddamn long to get this chapter out. My last update was 4 months ago. That is just unacceptable.**

 **Secondly, finally, I have this chapter out. Damn, what a pain it was to write it. Hope you guys enjoy it. Also, 100 points to anyone who can correctly guess who those Knights from Atlas are. I have some great matchups for them for the Festival. Stay tuned for that.**

 **Anyway, that's all I have for now. As always, faves, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	15. Chapter 15

"What were you thinking, you idiot?!" Weiss shouted as soon as she entered her dorm and saw her blonde teammate.

"Really? We haven't seen each other for a week and the first thing you do is kick down the door and shout at my face?" Mordred nonchalantly replied with a bored expression on her face, not bothering to get up from her bed.

"Gods, I forgot how _annoying_ you can be sometimes!" Weiss said as she rubbed her face in frustration before she turned her focus to Blake "And you! What were _you_ thinking?!"

"Me? What did I do?" Blake asked, confused as to why she was being attacked at the moment "You do realize that I was the victim in that whole incident, don't you?"

"My point exactly! _How_ did that even happen in the first place?!" Weiss asked "Weren't you a former member of the White Fang or is incompetence a requirement to being a member?!"

"Not so loud, Weiss!" Blake said, eyes widening in alarm as she got up to cover the Heiress's mouth as she looked around the room "What if people heard you?!"

"Oh, yeah. About that. Pyrrha knows, by the way" Mordred added.

"What?! Mordred! I told you to not tell anybody!" Blake shouted.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. She figured it out all on her own" Mordred replied with a shrug "She's a smart girl, you know, unlike _some_ people in this room"

"Why did you look at me when you said that?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes.

"Nevermind all that!" Ruby shouted as she shoved Weiss aside "Why didn't you guys call us?! We could have helped, you know?!"

"You guys were on an island. That's a two hour journey" Mordred replied.

"Well, I still think you should have informed us" Ruby said with a small pout "We're a team, after all"

"Alright, alright. Next time this dumb cat gets herself kidnapped, we'll solve it together" Mordred said, getting up from her bed to put her hands around Ruby "Does that sound better to you, team leader?"

"Well, as long as everything turned out for the better in the end" Ruby replied "A good thing, too. Weiss could not stop pacing when we were at Patch. She was really worried about you two, you know?"

"Wha-?! Don't tell _them_ that, Ruby!" Weiss shouted from the side.

"What's this, what's this? Did I hear that right? Miss Blake, did you hear that?" Mordred asked, as she stood next to Blake with a shit-eating grin on her face.

"I sure did, Miss Mordred. That the high and mighty heiress of the SDC, Weiss Schnee, was worried for her poor kidnapped teammate" Blake responded, an equally smug grin plastered on her face.

"I… You… Ughh!" Weiss groaned as she stomped out of the dorm "I'm going to get some breakfast!"

"Think of what the media would say" Mordred said as she and Blake trailed after the retreating Weiss.

"The outrage!" Blake added.

"The scandal! You might even lose your place in the SDC over this, ice queen" Mordred said with a gasp and a mocking laugh "Ruby, you coming?"

"Yup. Just gotta unpack a few things. I'll meet you guys there" Ruby said, giggling as she observed her teammate's antics.

 **[/]**

"You guys, you guys! Look what I just saw!" was the first thing Ruby said as she rushed towards her team's table, a piece of paper in her hand.

"Slow down, Red. Here, you want anything?" Mordred asked as she offered the young girl a plate full of food.

"Mordred! This is not time for food!" Ruby screamed before she swatted the plate aside, causing it to crash onto the floor.

"Yo, what the f-?!"

"Look! The teams that will be representing Beacon at the Vytal Festival has been announced!" Ruby shouted again, shoving the piece of paper in her hands into the blonde's face before she could protest about what just happened to her breakfast.

"Oh, shit! Are you serious?!" Mordred replied, snatching the piece of paper from her leader's hand as all previous thoughts of her breakfast thrown out the window.

"Don't hog it all to yourself, you idiot!" Weiss shouted.

"Heh, guess it's not surprising that our team would make the cut, huh?" Mordred commented as she and Weiss scanned the contents of the paper "What _is_ surprising is the fact the Team CRDL is in there, too"

"Give me that!" Weiss said as she snatched the paper away from Mordred, ignoring the girl's protests "Looks like Arthuria's Team and Pyrrha's Team have qualified, as well. They'll certainly be a challenge during the Festival"

"No surprise there" Blade remarked.

"Wait, they're sending five first-year teams? So, if they're doing the same for the other years, doesn't that mean they're sending…" Mordred trailed off as she took a few seconds to do the mental calculation "… twenty teams from Beacon alone? Doesn't sound fair for the other schools"

"That's because it's not" Blake replied just as Ruby returned to their table with a plate full of food "The kingdom that hosts the festival gets special permission to send twenty teams as representatives as opposed to the other kingdoms, who are only allowed to send one team per year"

"Why?" Mordred asked as she snatched a piece of bacon from her leader's plate.

"It's so that the host kingdom has a higher chance of winning, which in turn would boost positivity among the people" Blake answered "After all, what's a better way to keep Grim away than for the people to be happy?"

Mordred hummed as she considered the girl's words, "I suppose that makes sense. What about the teams from the other academies? Do we know who they're sending?"

"I doubt it" Weiss answered as she was eating her salad "They'd want it to be kept secret, after all"

"Well, whatever the case, I'll be expecting a formal appreciation letter from the three of you" Mordred stated.

"An appreciation letter? What for?" Weiss spoke up.

"What for? Why, for being the one responsible for getting us into the festival, after all" Mordred responded, genuine confusion on her face at Weiss's question "I mean, I am the ace of this team"

Weiss scoffed at the blonde's statement, "Mordred, if the school were to have judged our team based on your accomplishments – or lack thereof – we wouldn't even be _close_ to being considered for the Vytal Festival. In fact, I'm pretty sure we would have been banned from even _entering_ Amity Colosseum"

Before the argument between the two could escalate, they were cut off by someone in another table shouting, "FOOD FIGHT!"

 **[/]**

" _How did this even start in the first place?!"_ Weiss thought as she ducked under a tomato that was flying her way, glaring at the unseen assailant " _I mean, isn't this a prestigious school meant to train the future defenders of humanity?!"_

Ducking under a table, the girl ran into a swordfish lying into the ground, presumable either someone's unfinished breakfast or someone's idea of a weapon. Sighing to herself, she grabbed the swordfish by the tail with a determined fire in her eyes.

"Fine, then. If I'm going to do this, then I'm going to do this right!" she told herself as she got out from under the table, swordfish in her hand as she scanned the 'battlefield' for her team "Now, then. Where are they?"

"Ha ha! Finally found ya, ice queen!" came the ear grating voice of her blonde teammate.

"Fine. I suppose meeting you is better than-!" Whatever she was about to say was cut off as Mordred suddenly dashed towards her before attacking her with a suspiciously hard baguette. Luckily for her, she was able to block the attack in time using her own makeshift weapon "Wha-?! What are you doing, you idiot?! We're on the same team!"

"How naïve, Ice Queen!" Mordred shouted as she forced Weiss to go on the defensive "Don't you know that in food fights that there are _no_ allies and certainly _no_ teams!"

Growling, Weiss finally stood her ground as swordfish clashed with baguette, halting the two girls in their tracks, "Fine, then! If that's what you want, I'll be too happy to oblige. After all, I've wanted to release some of this stress ever since _last_ semester!"

 **[/]**

"No, no, no!" Ruby shouted, clutching her head as she stared at Weiss and Mordred battling it out a few feet away, all the while ignoring everything happening around them "What are those two doing?! We're supposed to be fighting like a team here!"

"It'll be fine, Ruby. You still have me by your side" Blake said as she placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her "Besides, I'm pretty sure if we had those two, any plan you come up with would just crumble immediately"

"Thanks, Blake" Ruby said as she sent a teary eyed look of gratefulness for the only sane – or at least, least insane – member of team RWBM. Turning around, Ruby began analysing the 'battlefield' in front of her. It took her a few seconds before she finally thought of a plan, "Alright, Blake, here's what we're going to do. First, we-!"

Whatever the girl had planned on saying was cut off as 'blood' suddenly splattered onto her face. Shock forming in her eyes, Ruby turned around to see Blake covered in 'blood'.

"Blake…?" Ruby said with a shaky voice, staring at her teammate.

"Ru-!" was all Blake managed to say before she was assaulted by a barrage of tomatoes, covering the girl in all red in a matter of seconds. Falling to the floor, Ruby was barely able to catch her teammate in her arms.

"Blake…? Blaaaaaake!" Ruby shouted into the sky as the 'battle' around her showed no signs of stopping "I will avenge you!"

Gently placing her fallen teammate down, Ruby stood up and was ready to charge into battle by herself before she, too, was struck down as a can of tuna hit her in the head. Disoriented by the surprise attack, Ruby was unable to dodge the oncoming barrage of foodstuffs, ranging from a cabbage to a plate full of sandwiches. In the end, the leader of Team RWBM joined the list of the fallen.

 **[/]**

"Jaune, cover me!" Arthuria shouted – a baguette in hand – as she rushed towards her opponent, a certain blonde brawler with each of her hands inside a turkey.

"You got it, partner!" Jaune replied as he readied his own makeshift weapon, a giant tuna fish in one hand while his other hand held a tray as a shield "Pyr, let's do this!"

"Right! Wait, where's Chulainn?" Pyrrha wondered aloud as she scanned the cafeteria for her partner before finally spotting him leaving the cafeteria "Chulainn! Where are you going?! We're in the middle of a battle here!"

"This is dumb. I'm going back to the dorm to take a nap" the boy replied, not even bothering to look back as he ducked under a thrown tomato. Frowning, Pyrrha could only return her focus back to the fight at hand as she readied her own weapon, a string of sausages.

"Well, looks like your team's fighting strength has been reduced by one. If you surrender now, I promise I'll treat you with mercy!" Yang grunted as she blocked a blow from Arthuria.

"Unfortunately for you, Yang, a Pendragon does not know the meaning of that word" Arthuria replied.

"Heh. Just what I'd like to hear!" Yang shouted as she reared her arm back before delivering a devastating blow to Arthuria, sending her fellow blonde back a few feet. Holding her ground, she could only smile before the two resumed blows.

 **[/]**

Seeing Arthuria in a pinch, Jaune immediately went dashing towards his partner to provide some assistance only for his path to encounter resistance in the form of Nora and her own partner, Frankenstein, as they flew in from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Sorry, Jauney. Can't let you pass because – just like the Vytal Festival – _we_ are gonna win it all this year!" Nora exclaimed as she held her weapon – a metal rod with a watermelon sticking out of it – up high above her head "Isn't that right, partner?!"

"That's right" Fran replied with a growl as she readied her own weapon, a similar metal rod but this time with a turkey sticking out of it.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Nora, but it's team JAPC that'll be the champions this year!" Jaune stated as he clashed with the two girls. Ducking under the Nora's swing, Jaune reacted too late as Fran sent the blonde flying into a stack of table and chairs. Not being down for too long, however, the boy immediately got up and re-entered his fighting stance.

"Boy, good thing he has a lot of aura because otherwise, that would have hurt, huh?" Nora remarked.

"Agreed" Fran added with a nod and a relieved sigh.

"So, ready for round _two_ , Jauney?!" Nora shouted as she and Fran didn't bother waiting for an answer, instead just choosing to flank their blonde opponent.

 **[/]**

"Good morning, Pyrrha" Ren calmly said as he ducked under the whip of sausages.

"Good morning, Ren" the redhead champion replied with a bright smile as she parried a blow from the boy's makeshift weapons, two pairs of celery sticks.

"Have you read the announcement regarding the teams who will be representing Beacon at the Vytal Festival yet?" Ren asked as he was pushed into the defensive.

"I have" Pyrrha replied before she continued with her assault.

"Well, I believe the proper thing to do here is to talk smack to the enemy team" Ren suggested, a small smile on his face,

"Unfortunately, I'm not so good at that but I think I'll try my best" Pyrrha replied as Ren leapt over her head before gracefully landing behind her "You're! Going… down?"

"Well, I'll give you 'A' for effort, at least" Ren said with a slight snicker as Pyrrha blushed in embarrassment.

 **[/]**

"Eat this, Arthuria!" Yang cried out as she delivered a crushing blow to her opponent… Or at least, that's what was supposed to happen before she found her weapon encased in a purple aura. Before she could process what was going on, both turkeys in her hands were suddenly forced out as they hovered into the air.

Not only that, even her opponent's own weapon suddenly had a purple aura around it as it was forcefully yanked out of her grip.

"Hey, what's going on?" Yang wondered aloud as the furniture and the food all around them were properly and neatly put back into place "I was just about to-"

The sound of a familiar whip cracking the air silenced her immediately.

"Children, _please_ do not play with your food" came the ice cold voice of one Glynda Goodwith. Turning around, both teams saw the Deputy Headmistress standing at the entrance to the cafeteria as she was flanked by the headmaster and another woman dressed in white. In that moment, none of the students present even dared to make a move as they were paralysed with fear from the glare they were receiving from the blonde woman.

"Come now, Glynda. I think it's quite alright to let them go once in a while, don't you think?" the headmaster said as he placed a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Ozpin, I really do believe that you can sometimes be too lax on these students" Glynda replied.

"They're only children. It should be alright to let them enjoy their youth. After all, they won't have it forever" Ozpin countered with a small smile. Glynda was about to say more before the woman in white standing next to her coughed to get her attention.

"I must say, you have a very… _interesting_ way of running your school, Professor Ozpin" the woman said "If it were Atlas, this kind of behaviour would be unthinkable"

"Fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you see it – this is Beacon, Miss Schnee, and I believe in letting children be children" Ozpin countered.

"Schnee?" Yang thought aloud "As in, Weiss Schnee?"

"Ah, yes. I suppose this is a good time as any. Let me introduce you, children, to-"

"Winter!" Arthuria shouted as she ran ahead "It's been so long"

"Hello, Arthuria" Winter said with a small smile "And yes, it has been so long, hasn't it? Five years, I believe. It's good to see you. I wish I could say the same of my own sister. Do you know where she is?"

"Um, well… She's here some-"

At that moment, two bodies suddenly came crashing down, seemingly appearing from out of nowhere. Two bodies who were currently locked in a grappling match as one was holding the other in a submission lock.

"What do you say, Ice Queen?! Do you give up now?!" Mordred shouted, her arms wrapped around the other girl's neck.

"Never. I'll NEVER admit defeat, least of all to you!" Weiss shouted as she clawed at Mordred's face.

"AHEM!" Glynda shouted, grabbing the girls' attention. It took a few seconds for either girl to realize who it was they were looking at before Mordred hastily released her hold on Weiss as the two girls quickly got on their feet.

"Miss Goodwith, I-" whatever Weiss was about to say was cut off as she noticed Winter standing next to the Deputy Headmistress "Winter?! What are you doing here?!"

Clearing her throat, Winter greeted her younger sister, "Hello, Weiss. As Professor Goodwith was about to announce, I will be staying here at Beacon until the end of the Vytal Festival as an aide to General Ironwood in addition to my role of making sure the teams that will be representing Atlas stay in their best behaviour."

"Hey, hey. Schnee the Elder. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Mordred said suddenly, cutting off Weiss's reply "Still got that stick up your butt?"

"Hello, Mordred. It's good to see you, too. It's been so long since we've seen each other, hasn't it?" Winter replied with a smile as Weiss glared at her teammate for her crass greeting.

"So, Weiss… This is your sister, huh?" Ruby said, appearing in a petal of roses while being covered in various foodstuffs as Blake trailed behind, herself covered from head to toe in tomatoes "Hello. It's very nice to meet you"

"Ruby?! What happened to you?! And what happened to Blake?!" Weiss asked at the sudden appearance of the rest of her team as Mordred cackled at the sight of Blake.

"Right. Miss Schnee, the two of you will have all the time to reconnect after your sister has settle in. For now" Glynda said as she eyed Ruby and Blake "I suggest you and your team clean yourselves up. Afternoon classes are about to start, after all"

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch" Weiss replied as she, her team, Team JAPC, and Team LYFV left the cafeteria.

"See ya later, Winter" Mordred added.

"Energetic students, aren't they?" Winter remarked.

"Agreed" Ozpin added with a nod as Glynda silently cursed the Gods for putting her in this position.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Alright! That certainly took faster than I expected. Gotta say, I'm real happy with how this chapter turned out and I had an absolute BLAST writing it. Hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it.**

 **Anyway, we're finally at the start of Volume 2. Hooray! This is my first take on the food fight as the first Fate: GD, I skipped the whole scene together but this time, I decided to give it a try. Give your honest thoughts on it.**

 **For next chapter, I'm hoping to introduce some new faces, mainly the "Knights" from Atlas. So, stay tuned for that.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	16. Chapter 16

**[Beacon Gardens]**

"Focus, Weiss" Winter said, a stern look as she observed her younger sister "That is the key. You need to have a clear mind to be able to perfectly perform your summoning"

"I'm… trying…" Weiss grunted through gritted teeth, her rapier pointed to the ground in front of her as she manifested her glyph before it started to rotate in place. A few seconds of tense silence passed before Weiss ultimately gave up with a loud sigh "It's not working. I just can't do it like you can"

A snort from behind her was the immediate response while Winter could only sigh at her sister.

"You _can._ All those with Schnee blood in their veins have the capability and potential of performing summoning" Winter responded before she unsheathed her own weapon as she pointed it to the ground. Within a matter of moments, a glyph not unlike Weiss's formed on the ground before them before a pure white Beawolf appeared before the girls.

"Boo! You suck, Ice Queen!" Came the ear grating voice of Weiss's blonde teammate from behind.

"And another thing. Is there a reason why that _thing_ is here?!" Weiss asked as she pointed her rapier straight at Mordred who was sat on a chair behind her, her legs propped up on a table "She's distracting me. In fact, I believe if she wasn't here, I'd have made progress if not outright mastered it"

"Pretty cocky, aren't you?" Mordred replied as Weiss shot back with a glare.

"Now, Weiss, do you really think that when in battle, you would be fortunate enough to perform your summoning under such ideal circumstances?" Winter asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well… No… But-"

"No" Winter continued, cutting her sister off "Which is why I believe your training will greatly benefit with Mordred's help"

"Ha ha! You hear that?" Mordred responded, nose up high "You should learn from Winter here and be appreciative of my talents even more from now on, Ice Queen"

"Quiet, you. I still haven't forgotten about the stunt you pulled yesterday during that food fight" Weiss shot back.

"Are you still on about that? Give it up already. It's not like it's my fault we lost, anyway" Mordred replied with a shrug.

"You attacked me!" Weiss shouted in response.

"So?"

"We were – _are_ on the same team!"

"Hey, like I said, there aren't any rules in a food fight" Mordred replied as Weiss growled at the blonde before Winter's giggling interrupted the two girls.

"It's nice to see the two of you still getting along" the girl said with a small smile as she looked between the two "Even after all these years, I'm glad to know that Weiss will always have a friend by her side"

"Winter, what are you saying?! I hate this girl!" Weiss protested "Do you know how much sleep I've lost ever since we've been in a team together?!"

"Ouch. That's pretty harsh, considering it takes forever to wait for you to finish up in the mornings" Mordred added.

"At least when _I_ take a shower, I don't leave it an unidentifiable mess after I'm done!" Weiss argued.

"Alright, you two" Winter said, grabbing the girls' attention "I think that's enough training for today, Weiss. Besides, you've not had lunch yet, right?"

"That's right, I haven't" Weiss said as her stomach chose that moment to growl, earning an embarrassed blush from the young Heiress.

"Which reminds me, I'm starving, too" Mordred added "Geez, how long have you two been doing this for?"

"That settles it, then. We can continue this at a later date. For now, I believe it wise that the two of you move along with your day" Winter suggested "After all, I have my own duties to attend to"

Before the three girls could leave, however, Weiss suddenly spoke up, "Winter. Let's have dinner together. Tonight"

"Tonight? I'm afraid tonight is impossible" Winter answered after a moment's pause, much to Weiss's disappointment "However, my schedule will be open this weekend. Would that be okay for you, Weiss?"

"Yes. It is!" Weiss answered, a beaming smile on her face.

"Excellent. Mordred? Would you like to join us?" Winter asked as she turned her attention to the blonde girl.

"Huh? Me?" Mordred muttered as she looked between the older woman and the pleading look on her teammate's face before sighing, "Nah, it's fine. You two go ahead. I've got some other plans that day, anyway"

"Some other time, then" Winter replied with a slight frown "Now, I believe you two have classes after lunch, right?"

"That's right. Goodwitch's combat class" Mordred answered as she got off her chair.

"Then, I suggest the two of you have a proper meal before then, wouldn't you agree?" Winter suggested before the three girls went their separate ways.

 **[/]**

Weiss was practically skipping with joy as she and Mordred made their way to the cafeteria, a beaming smile on her face as she hummed a tune along the way.

"What the hell is up with you?" Mordred asked, a look of disgust at her teammate's giddy attitude.

"Oh, nothing" Weiss replied in a chippy tone "I'm just glad to be able to spend time with Winter, after all"

"Ugh… Seeing you like this makes my stomach turn. Can't you go back to being all grouchy again?" Mordred complained.

"Oh, Mordred. You say such silly things sometimes" Weiss replied with a heartfelt laugh as she patted the girl on the back.

"Seriously, stop it" Mordred said, as a look of disgust formed on her face "You're creeping me-"

Whatever Mordred was about to say was cut off as someone bumped the blonde on the shoulder.

"Ah, so-"

"Watch where you're going, dumbass!" a voice shouted, cutting off Mordred's apology short "What are you, blind?!"

"Huh?!" Mordred thought aloud as she turned around to face the source of the voice "Hey, you bump into people and you blame them?! Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Huh?!" the source of the voice shot back, turning around to face Mordred. It was at that point that the blonde realized the voice belonged to a dark skinned girl with light grey hair with a pair of Faunus ears – of what animal specifically, Mordred couldn't be sure – on top of her head. She was wearing a white jacket that had been buttoned the whole way with a pair of short jeans and on her feet were a pair of black shoes that reached above her ankles.

Before Mordred could process what was going on, a hand shot up as the girl pulled Mordred's face close to her own using the collar on the blonde's uniform, "You wanna go, bitch?!"

Not wanting to back down from the sudden challenge, Mordred glared at the girl before returning the favour by grabbing her jacket by the collar, "Bring it on, asshole. I'll tear you a new one right here, right now"

"Oh, yeah? Looks like this place isn't just full of entitled rich kids, huh?!" the girl shot back.

"Mordred!" Weiss hissed from the side, grabbing the blonde's attention even though Mordred didn't let her glare up even for a second, "That's enough. Let's just go grab lunch, alright?"

The girl smiled menacingly as Mordred growled in response.

"Mordred!" Weiss hissed once more before Mordred finally relented as she let go of the girl's jacket before she, too, did the same in return.

"Hah! What a fucking turn off!" the girl shouted as Mordred began walking away from the scene, "And here I thought this school was going to be full of pussies! I haven't been proven wrong yet!"

"Ignore her, Mordred" Weiss advised as the two girls made their way toward the cafeteria.

"Whatever" Mordred replied with a scowl as she pushed the cafeteria doors open before shoving her way through a couple of students, ignoring the cries of protests.

 **[/]**

"Someone tried to pick a fight with Mordred?!" Ruby asked, surprise on her face as she and her team made their way to combat class "When? Where?!"

"Just now before lunch" Weiss answered as the blonde in question was a few paces in front of them.

"Do you know who she was?" Blake asked.

Weiss shook her head in response, "I've never seen her on campus before so she must be one of the transfer students for the Vytal Festival"

"I suppose that explains the terrible mood she's been in" Blake added as the three girls could only stare at Mordred's back.

"Well, hey. Look on the bright side. At least it didn't turn into an all-out brawl, right?" Ruby said.

"Those new kids were pretty good, huh?" came the voice of Team CFVY's team leader, Coco Adel "They're pretty easy on the eyes, too"

"I don't have anything to say about their looks but yes, their skills are nothing to scoff at" Yatsuhashi replied as his team bumped into the three girls of Team RWBM.

"Hey, guys!" Ruby said in greeting with a wave.

"Hey there, kiddos" Coco replied with a nod "Going to combat with the Big G?"

"Yup"

"Good luck and don't go embarrassing Beacon, ya hear?" Coco advised.

"Speaking of" Weiss spoke up, stopping the older students from leaving "What were the transfer students for the second years like? What kind of weapons did they use? Also, what were their fighting styles like?"

"Geez, Weiss, could you be any less subtle?" Blake quipped.

"Transfer students, huh? Well, the kids from Atlas were pretty good" Coco answered as she pointed to Yatsuhashi "Managed to beat Yatsu here, too. Granted, it was a loss by ring out"

"A loss is still a loss, Coco. The rules were established-"

"Ah, you're being too harsh on yourself, big guy. In a real tournament with a bigger space to fight in, you'd have wiped the floor with those Atlesian pretty boys" Coco countered.

"I wouldn't be so sure" the boy remarked "As you said, he is a skilled fighter and he was better than I was at fighting with the sword"

"Well, there you have it. First-hand testimony" Coco added.

"What was his name?" Weiss asked.

"Hmm… I think it was-"

"Lancelot. His name was Lancelot" Yatsuhashi answered before the two teams parted ways.

 **[/]**

"Where the hell were you guys?" Mordred asked, a frown on her face as the rest of Team RWBM joined the blonde. In the time it took for the rest of her team to get to class, Mordred had already changed into her full body armour with her helmet having mechashifted away to reveal her face.

"We met with Team CFVY on the way here" Blake answered as the blonde hummed in response.

"Mordred, get this! Apparently there's this super strong team from Atlas among the second-years" Ruby said as she sat down next to her partner.

"Oh, yeah? What makes you say that?" Mordred asked as the rest of the students began to arrive with Teams LYFV and JAPC taking the seats behind them although Team JAPC was missing their blue-haired fourth member.

"Well, apparently-" Ruby started before she was cut off by the blonde professor down in the arena.

"Good afternoon, class" Glynda said as she scanned the rows of faces in front of her "As all of you here know, today marks the start of the new semester as we head towards the Vytal Festival at the end of the term. As such, starting from today, we will be joined by three new teams, each from the academies of Shade, Mistral, and Atlas. Now then, as with every class, is there anyone who would like to volunteer for the first match of the new semester?"

"Me! I volunteer!" A voice shouted from the seats behind the Deputy Headmistress. Turning around, Glynda noted the face of the student – a girl – who had volunteered before she tapped away on the tablet in her hands.

"Ah, Miss Caenis… Wodime, was it? Hailing from Shade Academy, the leader of Team CCPM (Chocolate)" Glynda said as the girl made her way towards the arena. The girl was wearing a white skinsuit with black lines going all over the suit while on her hands were a pair of intricately carved gauntlets that reached up to her elbows with a pair of equally intricate greaves that reached her knees. On her head was a white headpiece with a pair of white cauldrons on her shoulders.

Her weapon of choice was a white and gold spear in her right hand and a white and gold shield in her left. The shield was round in shape except for a part of the shield where a dent had been forged, presumably allowing the girl to attack and defend at the same time.

"Oooohhh, a new student. This will be fun to watch" Ruby exclaimed, practically vibrating in her seat with excitement as the girl descended down into the arena, "Although, is it just me or is she staring a hole right through me. Don't you think… so… Mordred?"

Her partner, on the other hand, was practically glowing with murderous intent as she stared at the newcomer, teeth barred in a vicious smile as she gripped her fists.

"Umm… Mordred?" Ruby said, trying to get her partner's attention but failed once more.

"Psst… Ruby… Remember the girl I told you about earlier?" Weiss said before pointing to the girl in the arena below.

"That's her?!" Ruby shouted before immediately clasping her mouth with her hands.

"Now then, are there any vo-"

"Me, Miss Goodwitch! I volunteer!" Mordred's shouted as she stood up, cutting off the Deputy's question.

"Oh? Miss Pendragon? You're not normally so eager to participate" the older blonde noted.

"Heh heh, what can I say? I'm _extra_ motivated today" Mordred said, her glare towards Caenis not letting up one bit as she descended the stairs before going to retrieve her own weapon.

"Who knew we'd meet again so soon, blondie" Caenis taunted as Mordred emerged from the locker room, Clarent in hand "I'll give you credit for volunteering, at least"

"Hmph. Talk is cheap. Show me what you got, transfer student" Mordred said as she and her opponent stood on opposite ends of the arena.

"Hmm… I presume that the two of you know each other. A little competition is fine but be warned that in this class, my word is law. You will stop when either of your Aura reaches twenty-five percent, one of you has left the ring thus resulting in a loss by ring out, or when I say so" Glynda said, going over the rules of the upcoming match "Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am" Mordred answered as her helmet shifted into place.

"No problems here" Caenis echoed as she twirled the spear in her hand before planting her feet firmly onto the ground.

"Very well" Glynda said before she raised her crop into the air "Now that the both of you are clear on the rules, we will begin the match in…"

"Three…" Mordred tenses as Clarent is gripped tightly in her hands.

"Two…" Caenis licked her lips as she lowered her centre of gravity.

"One…" Glynda raised her crop up high before she brought it down with a loud snap "Begin!"

The moment the professor said that, Caenis quite literally rocketed towards Mordred, an explosion at her feet sending her flying towards her armoured opponent.

" _She's fast_ " Mordred thought to herself as she narrowly dodged a thrust of the girl's spear. Not relenting, Caenis immediately spun in mid-air before delivering a devastating kick to the side of Mordred's head, disorienting the blonde. Pressing her attack, Caenis then went for a few thrusts aimed at Mordred's midriff. Sensing the imminent danger, Mordred immediately kicked Caenis in the stomach in an attempt to gain some distance from her opponent.

However, Caenis saw the attack coming as she immediately back flipped away from her opponent.

"Hey, what's wrong, blondie?!" Caenis taunted with a mocking laugh, loud enough for everyone in class to hear "Is this the best that Beacon has to offer?!"

"Tch. Keep talking, bitch" Mordred growled before she immediately went on the offensive. Caenis, however, retaliated with a few quick jabs towards the blonde's head only for Mordred to suddenly duck underneath the attack before delivering a devastating slash across her opponent's stomach. The blow would have taken a huge chunk off of Caenis's aura, had it not been for her Shield deflecting the attack away.

Clicking her tongue, Mordred didn't let up. Quickly getting back on her feet, Mordred raised her sword up high and was about to deliver a devastating blow towards her opponent. Unfortunately for her, Caenis swiftly caught her attack with her shield before sweeping the blonde's blade aside.

Taking advantage of Mordred's opening, Caenis then proceed to rain down a flurry of blows on Mordred's side, taking out a small chunk of Mordred's aura in the process. Fortunately, Mordred was able to recover in time as she caught the girl's spear with her sword as the two girls traded blow, matching the other shot for shot as sword clashed against spear.

"Not bad, blondie" Caenis growled.

"Heh. You're not too bad yourself" Mordred shot back as she swept the girls' spear aside before delivering a devastating headbutt to hear opponent. Dazed from the unexpected attack, there was nothing Caenis could do as Mordred rained blow after blow on the transfer student. Caenis was eventually able to break free from the blonde's assault but not before she lost some valuable aura in the process.

 **[/]**

"Dear brother, it seems like our team leader is in trouble" said one of the members of Caenis's team – a blonde girl – as she observed the match taking place below. She was wearing a sleeveless black shirt with a white robe draped over her body while on her feet were a pair of gold heels.

"It seems so, dear sister" her brother – also a blonde – replied, one of two boys of Team CCPM. His outfit resembled his sister's, except he chose to wear a pair of shoes instead of heels. "What a shock that would be, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed, dear brother" the girl replied as Caenis started making use of her semblance, evidenced by the fact that her spear was now engulfed in flames.

"Oh, my. To think she would use her semblance. Today is certainly full of surprises" the boy said before he addressed the 'M' in Team CCPM "What say you, partner of Caenis? Care to comment on her chances of winning this match?"

Dressed in a colourful attire with a pair of gauntlets that covered his entire arm as well as a pair of greaves that reached his knee, the partner of Caenis hummed for a moment before he spoke, "I think… if she loses the match, it'll be bad for all of us. Especially me"

"Oh? That is an interesting thought process" the blonde boy replied "Would you care to elaborate on it?"

"I mean, we all know how hot-headed our team leaderCa can be, right? Well, ever since coming here, she's been in an awful mood but if she loses, she could be in an even worse mood than ever. Were that to happen, she will no doubt need an outlet to release all her pent up frustration and the only way she would want to do that is by fighting and we all know how much she loves to fight" the boy answered, as he started sweating profusely while gripping his head in fear "I'm sure Beacon has some advanced training equipment for their students but I'm more than confident that it won't be enough for our team leader and that's why I think she'll just drag me along in the name of training but in reality, I'll just be tanking her hits most of the time and being used as a punching bag. If that's not enough, then Caenis will definitely…"

"Dear brother, it appears you've managed to break him with a simple question" the blonde girl commented, taking her eyes off of her mumbling teammate and turning her focus back on the fight in front of her. Before her brother could respond, however, the other boy of Team CCPM then shot up and shouted encouragement for his team leader.

"Caenis! You better not lose this match, you hear me?!" the boy shouted, ignoring all the looks of surprise from around him as his eyes were filled with fear at the prospect of his team leader losing.

 **[/]**

Both girls were drawing heavy breaths now as they each kept their distance from the other on opposite ends of the arena. Exhaustion started to set in and the two girls knew that the next few series of attacks were going to settle the match.

With Mordred's aura at thirty percent and her opponent at thirty-three, it was the blonde who moved first as she charged towards the Vacuon student with all the energy she could muster despite the fact that her feet were screaming at her to stop. At this point in the match, she had chosen to forgo all subtlety with her semblance, evidenced by the fact at how her blade was glowing in a blood red colour.

Caenis wasn't faring any better herself, as shown by the fact that she had thrown her shield aside to focus all her energy on offense.

Before she realized what was happening, she was already locked in a contest of strength with Mordred as their weapons were locked in a clash. During the heat of it all, however, Mordred managed to smash Caenis's weapons away from her hand, sending it clattering out of bounds.

"Nooooo!" came the cries of despair from someone in the audience – someone from Caenis's team, is what Mordred assumed. Distracted by the sudden interference, Mordred was unable to react as Caenis suddenly lifted the blonde off the ground before promptly throwing the across the arena.

Immediately getting up, Mordred then realized that her sword had been stolen from her, evidenced by the fact that Caenis now held it in her hands along with the smug grin on her face before the student from Shade promptly threw it out of the ring, leaving both girls without their weapons.

"Oh, I see. _That's_ how you wanna play this, huh?" Mordred muttered to herself before she raised her fists.

"Ha ha! I knew you wouldn't back down!" Caenis shouted as she raised her own fists, much to the chagrin of Glynda who could only shake her head with a sigh at what was to be a brutish and barbaric fight.

Letting out their warcries, the two girls clashed as neither of them even thought about defence, instead content to focus all they had on dealing as much damage as possible and hoping they could tank whatever the other could dish out. To the two girls, the clash that followed felt like an eternity but in reality, barely a minute passed before the buzzer sounded, signalling the match's end.

"The match has ended!" Glynda quickly called out as she used her semblance to restrain the two girls "The winner is… neither of you, seeing as both of your auras dropped to twenty-five percent at exactly the same time. Therefore, the result of the match is a draw"

Panting heavily, Mordred stared at the screen above them, surprised to find that both their auras were at the same point.

"Miss Pendragon, I believed I've told you this before but I will _not_ entertain such a brutish act like that ever again" Glynda said, glaring at the blonde student in front of her.

"Yes, Miss Goodwitch" Mordred replied.

"That goes to you too, Miss Wodime. I'm not sure how it is at Shade but here at Beacon, I will _not_ tolerate such an act again. Am I understood?!"

"Yeah, you got it"

"Now, put your weapons back into the locker room and get back to your respective teams" Glynda said as she used her semblance to give the girls their discarded weapons back.

Grabbing their respective weapons, Mordred and Caenis stared at each other with a deadpan look as Glynda readied herself to stop what she thought was an inevitable clash. Said clash never happened, however as laughter erupted from both girls a few moments later.

"Well hot damn, you're pretty good, blondie!" Caenis said, patting Mordred on the back as the two made their way to the locker room.

"You're not half bad yourself, transfer student!" Mordred responded as she hefted Clarent on her shoulders.

"You said your name was Mordred, right? Name's Caenis" the Shade student said as she held out a fist.

"Likewise, Caenis" Mordred said as she returned their greeting.

 **[/]**

"For some reason, the fact that Mordred just made a new friend is sending shivers down my spine" Weiss commented as the two girls disappeared into the locker room, their raucous laughter echoing around the arena. Unknown to the Heiress, Caenis's partner also felt the same way.

"Oh, come on, Weiss. I'm sure you're just overthinking things" Ruby replied.

"Well, it's nice that at least one of is positive about the whole thing" Blake quipped.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And with that, Beacon just witnessed the birth of the Delinquent Duo.**

 **Gotta be honest with you guys, I hadn't planned on introducing Caenis in this chapter but after seeing a few fan art of the two together, I just had to. Hope you guys like the fight. On another note, what was** _ **supposed**_ **to happen this chapter was the introduction of the knights from Atlas. Hopefully, that can be done next chapter.**

 **Also, in reply to review from Spartastic 4, Team LYFV is pronounced Leaf while JAPC is Jasper.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	17. Chapter 17

"Hey, have you guys seen-" Entering her dorm, Weiss started to say before the young Heiress stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening in shock at the scene in front of her "Wha-?! Are you gambling?! In our dorm?!"

"No" Mordred replied, as she narrowed her eyes at the cards she had in her hand.

"Then do you mind explaining to me exactly what it is the four of you are doing?!" Weiss shouted, as she quickly shut the door behind her to prevent anyone else from witnessing the scene.

"We're teaching Ruby math" Mordred answered as the blonde gestured to the young team leader seated on the floor next to her "Isn't that right, Ruby?"

"Hmmm…" Ruby hummed to herself, unware of the fact that Weiss had even entered the dorm.

"That has got to be the _stupidest_ thing you've ever said in your life, Mordred!" Weiss added.

"Jeez… I've only known you for a few days and I'm already sick of you" Caenis said, who was sat across from Mordred.

"Yeah? Try seventeen years. Ten out of ten times I would not recommend it" Mordred commented as Ruby drew another card from the deck in front of her.

"And you!" Weiss shouted once more "Why can't you morons do this at your dorm?!"

"Mordred invited us here" Caenis replied with a shrug "You done yet, little Red? Come on, can't be that hard"

"Just… give me a minute" Ruby replied as she stared a hole through the cards in her hands.

"And who's this one?" Weiss asked, pointing towards the other person in the room who up until now hadn't said a word.

"This is my partner" Caenis answered before the boy in question – dressed in a simple grey shirt and black pants – turned towards Weiss before standing up.

"Hello. My name is Mandricardo. Nice to meet you" the boy said with a slight bow of his head as he extended a hand to Weiss.

"Ah… H-hello. I'm Weiss Schnee" the girl replied, taking the boy's hand.

"I apologize for my team leader's behavior. I hope she hasn't caused you too much trouble the past few days" the boy continued before he sat down on the floor once more.

"What are you apologizing for, you idiot?!" Caenis asked as she punched her partner on the arm "Not like I did anything wrong"

"If you say so, Caenis" Mandricardo said with a sigh that said he was used to his team leader's reckless behavior. Looking at the antics of the four students in front of her, Weiss let out a heavy sigh as she took a seat on her bed.

"Okay. I'm done" Ruby announced as she placed her cards face down.

"Alright. Open them, Red" Caenis said with an amused snort "Show me what you got"

"Hehe… You're gonna regret that" Ruby replied with confidence as she flipped her cards over to reveal a seven of hearts, a four of diamonds, and an ace of spades "So, what do you think of that?!"

"Not bad, Rubes. A twenty one" Mordred said, amazed at how quickly Ruby took to the game. Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Caenis begrudgingly handed Ruby her winnings for the round.

"That's right. I almost forgot, have any of you seen Blake around?" Weiss asked, finally remembering why she came to the dorm in the first place.

"Blake? Not since this morning" Ruby answered as she tucked her winnings away "Now that you mention it, she's been acting off lately, hasn't she?"

"Off how?" Weiss asked

"Like moody and… anti-social? She's also been pretty distant lately" Ruby answered.

"… Still waiting for you to get to the part where Blake is acting weird, Ruby" Mordred chimed in.

"I meant more so than usual" Ruby argued as Mordred chuckled "She's also been spending more time in the library as of late. You don't think it's about… _those guys_ , do you?"

"Knowing her? I wouldn't rule it out" Mordred said as she shuffled the deck of cards.

"Should I do something? I mean, that's what a good partner should do, right? And I _want_ to be a good partner for Blake. I do but… It's just… She doesn't make it easy" Weiss added as she looked between Ruby and Mordred "I mean, remember the last time I tried to help?"

"You call that helping?" Mordred asked with a snort.

"My point is, I'm afraid that if I push this matter, it'll just make the problem worse" Weiss remarked "What do you guys think I should do?"

" _I_ think" Mordred started as she dealt two cards each to Caenis, Ruby, and finally herself "That if the most stable partnership in Team RWBM is one involving me, then you know something is _definitely_ wrong somewhere"

Weiss and Ruby shared a look as the blonde's words echoed in their minds. Without uttering another word, Weiss got up from her bed before leaving the dorm in search of her partner.

 **[/]**

"So, you guys got any plans for the weekend?" Chulainn asked as he and Team CRDL walked through the halls of Beacon.

"Hmm… Not really" Cardin answered with a shrug.

"Ah, I heard about this new arcade opening up downtown. You guys wanna check it out?" Dove suggested.

"An arcade, huh? Haven't been to one in a while" Russel thought aloud "Sure, why not?"

"Classes are over for the week, right? You guys want to just head over there now?" Sky suggested "We could just get dinner after that"

"Speaking of dinner, I am _starving_. Let's get something to eat first" Cardin added as the rest of the boys agreed.

"Alright. Food then-"

"Chulainn, wait!" a voice shouted from behind, cutting off whatever the blue-haired boy was going to say.

"I'll see you guys at the Bullhead docks, alright?" Chulainn said as Team CRDL left the boy behind. With a sigh and a small frown on his face, the boy turned around to face his partner, "Nikos. Did you need something?"

Flinching slightly at how she was just addressed, Pyrrha replied, "The team was planning on going out tonight to catch that new Vindicators movie. I was wondering if you would like to join us."

"I'll pass" the boy replied without missing a beat.

"I-I see… Then how about tomorrow? We could have lunch, me, you, Jaune, and Arthuria. There's a new café that opened up in Vale. I've been told they serve delicious cakes there" Pyrrha suggested.

Sighing, Chulainn stared at Pyrrha in the eyes before replying, "Look, Ni- Pyrrha, you don't have to try this hard to be friends with me, alright? We're partners but that doesn't mean we have to be friends, does it?"

"W-well, no… But-"

"And besides, you've never cared about me being absent before, have you?" the boy remarked "What, did the blonde duo put you up to this?"

"No. I mean, yes but they just wanted to spend time together, all four of us… As a team" Pyrrha countered.

"Typical. Look at you, so wrapped around other people's fingers. What are you, their little errand girl now?" Chulainn clicked his tongue in annoyance "Look at you, a far cry from the Invincible Girl that I used to know. How the mighty have fallen"

"Excused me? What's that supposed to mean?!" Pyrrha countered, as she furrowed her brows at the boy.

"Hmph. Nothing. Anyway, you shouldn't worry about me. Besides, it's not like I'm without friends"

"You mean Team CRDL"

"Yeah, so? What, you're gonna disapprove of me hanging out with them? What are you, my mom?" Chulainn said.

"Nobody's saying that, Chulainn" Pyrrha argued "I'm just saying that, once in a while, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we trained together again, like at the start of last semester"

"Hard pass. Besides, if that's what you're worried about, I'm getting enough training as it is with the guys, anyway" Chulainn replied "Remember how Russel beat Belladona the other day? Yeah, that was me. So, if you're worried if I'm getting rusty, don't be. Anyway, see ya around, Nikos"

No other words came out of the two students as the both of them turned around, leaving the other behind.

 **[Beacon Library]**

"Is this them…?!" Blake muttered to herself as she scanned the contents to the newspaper laid down on top of the keyboard of the computer in front of her "No… Can't be… Doesn't fit their M.O."

" _Hmmm… What could their goal be for working with humans, especially someone like Roman?!"_ Blake thought to herself, the frustration from not having an answer starting to boil over " _And what do they need all that Dust for, anyway?! Arghhh!"_

The girl slammed her hands on the keyboard in front of her as she screamed internally, startling the other students nearby. As she slowly calmed herself down, Blake noted that the time was well past lunchtime.

"Oh, man… Come to think of it, I haven't had lunch yet" Blake thought to herself aloud as her stomach chose then and there to growl, as if proving her statement true. Sighing to herself, the girl turned off the computer and was about to get up from her chair before something blocked her way. That something being a plate full of tuna sandwiches. Startled, the girl looked up to see that her partner – Heiress of The SDC, Weiss Schnee herself – was the one who had brought her the food.

"Good afternoon, Blake" Weiss greeted casually before dragging a chair in front of the Faunus and proceeding to take a seat "May I sit down?"

"You already have" Blake replied as she eyed the plate of sandwiches in the Heiress's hands.

"Oh, I see you've noticed this plate of food in my hand. Would you like some?" Weiss asked, a strained smile on the girl's face.

"…Yes? Thank you, I suppose…" Blake said as she reached for the sandwiches before Weiss abruptly pulled the plate away from the girl's grasp.

"Well, you can't have any" Weiss said as she got up before grabbing Blake's hand "Not until we have a little heart to heart talk between partners"

"Wait, what are you-" Blake didn't have time to finish her question before her partner yanked her from the chair and started dragging her out of the library, much to the girl's protest. Try as she might, however, the young Faunus just too hungry and too tempted by the food in her partner's hands to protest. Eventually, the two girls reached an empty classroom. Entering, Weiss set the plate down on a nearby table before she dragged a chair over.

"Sit" Weiss said with crossed arms.

"Weiss, what-"

"I said sit" Weiss repeated as she pointed at the chair. Sighing, Blake reluctantly complied with her partner's request.

"Now, could you please tell me what all this is about?" Blake asked.

"Funny. That was exactly what I was going to say" Weiss said, as she raised her eyebrow at Blake.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked as she tilted her head to the side.

"This, Blake. _All_ of this!" Weiss answered with a raised voice as she gestured towards the Faunus "Have you looked in the mirror lately? Bloodshot eyes, disheveled hair, and let's not even begin talking about your poor performance in combat class a few days ago. I mean, you lost to Russel Thrush, of all people!"

"I'm fine, Weiss. This is just… I've been busy, that's all" Blake replied as she tried to get up before Weiss pushed her back down.

"Busy doing _what_ , exactly?" Weiss asked, her hands on her partner's shoulders as Weiss stared Blake in the eye. Blake, however, didn't give an answer but instead chose to avert her eyes. In that moment, Weiss knew exactly why her partner was like this as she released her hold on the girl, "This is about _them_ , isn't it? The White Fang"

When Blake remained silent, Weiss let out a heavy sigh, "Blake, answer me"

"Yes, alright?! This is about the White Fang. It has _always_ been about the White Fang" Blake answered as she got up from the chair "Why does nobody understand the threat they're posing right now?! Does nobody care about all the Dust being stolen or am I literally the only one who's willing to do anything?!"

"How do you know that?" Weiss asked, unfazed by the girl's sudden outburst.

"What?"

"I'm asking you, how do you know that you're the only one doing anything?" Weiss added "How do you know that Professor Ozpin or even the police aren't doing anything about the White Fang?"

"Because if they are then they obviously aren't doing enough" Blake argued.

"And I suppose what you're doing is leagues above compared to their own efforts?" Weiss countered "Let me answer that for you: No, it's not. All you're doing is overworking yourself to an early grave, Blake"

"I'm-"

"Let's say you did find something noteworthy. That the White Fang _is_ up to something big behind the scenes" Weiss said, cutting her partner off "What will you do then? Will you run off on your own again, trying to desperately prove a point while risking your own life?"

"No, that's not what I…" Blake said as she sat down once more. A few seconds of silence passed before Weiss spoke up

"Can I tell you a story? It doesn't have a happy ending, mind you" Weiss said, pausing for a moment before continuing "Ever since I was young, I… didn't have many people to call family or even a friend. I suppose there's Arthuria and… _maybe_ that blonde idiot but before those two came along, I was always alone. There was Winter but by the time I was able to think for myself, she was already gone. Off to work for the military. My relationship with my brother was practically non-existent – it's been getting better, I suppose – but we were never each other's favorite sibling. As for my mother well, she has always been so distant and because of that, we've never really had a relationship. The less said about my relationship with my father, the better"

"Weiss, what-"

"The point of my story is that you shouldn't carry all this burden by yourself. You have a team for a reason" Weiss added as she placed a hand on her partner's shoulders "Learn to count on us. On Ruby. On Me"

A few seconds passed in silence before Blake spoke, "And Mordred?"

"I know what I said" Weiss said, a small smile on her face.

"I'm not giving up on this, Weiss. You can't change my mind" Blake said.

"I'm not _asking_ you to give up. I'm asking you… to slow down and ask your team… your _friends_ for help" Weiss countered. Blake sighed as she stared down at the floor, shame in her eyes before looking back up at Weiss.

"Alright. I get it. I'll… take it easy from now on" Blake said.

"That's all I'm asking"

"But if I find anything that suggests the White Fang are up to something, then I'll be counting on my team to back me up. Agreed?" Blake asked, as she extended a hand towards her partner.

"I think I can work with that" Weiss said, taking the Faunus's hand with a smile.

"Now, about those sandwiches…" Blake said, her mouth practically drooling at the sight.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: Bit of a short one this time. This is more of a transitionary chapter, anyway. Next chapter, I hope to be able to show a bit more action.**

 **Hope you guys like this one. Also, a hundred points to anyone who can guess who the other two members of Caenis's team are.**

 **As always, faves, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


	18. Chapter 18

"So, tell me, Professor Moriarty" Ozpin started as he walked the halls of his academy with Beacon's newest – albeit, temporary – staff beside him "What do you think of Beacon so far?"

"It's certainly a grand piece of architecture, that's for sure. Nothing at all like Haven, as I'm sure you no doubt know" the Professor replied with a chuckle "It has an incredibly modern feel to it, unlike Haven's more traditional design. Not that I hate it, of course but it is a welcome change of scenery"

"Speaking of Haven, how is Leonardo? I've spoken to him a few times but that was by scroll. It's been a while since I've met with him personally" Ozpin asked as the two old men approached Beacon's teacher's lounge.

"Ah, well… You know Leo. Ever the survivor. Doesn't look like he'll be going away anytime soon, that one" Moriarty replied "Of course, it's not like I'd let him, seeing as he still owes me money, the old bastard"

"Oh? Is he facing some kind of financial problems?" Ozpin asked "Nothing too serious, I hope"

"Nothing of the sort, Headmaster" Moriarty answered with a small wave "We were just playing a little card game and I happened to have the better hand, that's all"

"Well, here we are. Allow me to introduce to the rest of the staff" Ozpin said as he pushed the door to the teacher's lounge open. In the middle of the room was a long white table, with a few plates of food and a few cups of coffee and tea placed on it. Seated around it were Beacon's various faculty members "First of all, I'm sure you've met her already but she is my Deputy Headmistress here at Beacon Academy, Professor Glynda Goodwitch. She is in charge of the combat classes for all four years of Beacon students"

"Professor Goodwitch. How nice to formally meet you, at last" the man said as he shook hands with the blonde woman.

"Likewise, Professor Moriarty" Glynda replied with a small smile.

"I do apologize for having to leave early the other day. I had some personal matters to attend to"

"It's quite alright, Professor. After all, you did just finish helping out some of our students" Glynda stated.

"And I can't thank you enough for that, Professor. Who knows what would have happened had you not been there" Ozpin interjected.

"All in a day's work. Besides, they were talented young students. I'm sure they would have fared just as well had I not been there" Moriarty said with a smile before Ozpin moved on with the introductions.

"And this is Beacon's History professor, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck"

"Ah, Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck. Your reputation precedes you" Moriarty said as he took the Doctor's hand "Might I say that your analysis on the ancient ruins of Vacuo is certainly an interesting one. Controversial, yes, but interesting nonetheless"

"Ah, a reader of one my works, I see" the Doctor replied as he adjusted his glasses "Although, controversial? I'm afraid I must disagree. You see, Professor-"

"Ah, why don't we save the debate for later, Bart? After all, classes will be starting soon" Ozpin quickly interjected, pulling Beacon's new staff along "And this is Beacon's Professor for Grimm Studies, Professor Peter Port"

For a few seconds, no words passed between the two men as they shook hands. Peter was the first to break the silence, as he immediately stroked the moustache on his face with a smirk, "I say, Professor Moriarty, what a fine piece of facial hair you have there. Truly magnificent"

"I was just thinking the same thing, Professor Port" Moriarty replied, a chuckle escaping his lips as he, too, started stroking his own moustache.

"Right then. Shall we move on?" Ozpin asked, not at all weirded out by the display in front of him, unlike the rest of his colleagues before Moriarty stood in front of a man dressed in a black robe that reached his ankles as well as a black cloth covering his head. What surprised Moriarty the most, however, was the black gas mask he was wearing "He is the newest addition to Beacon's faculty, Doctor Asclepius"

"Ah, good morning, Doctor. It's nice to meet you" Moriarty said as he shook the man's hand.

"Likewise, Professor. We're both newcomers here so there's really no need to be so formal with me" the young Doctor stated "That said, should you find anyone exhibiting symptoms of an illness, I'd appreciate it if you could bring them to me at once. It doesn't matter if it's not serious. After all, there's nothing more worthless than a doctor not in front of a patient"

"Ah, o-of course" Moriarty said, slightly taken aback by the young Doctor's request.

"Now then, if you'll excuse me, Headmaster, I'm afraid work's been piling up lately" the man said before he left the room.

"Beacon's previous Doctor retired quite recently, you see, and he was the first qualified individual we interviewed. Young as he may be, he is quite an experienced physician" Ozpin added.

"He's also one of the more eccentric staff we have here at Beacon" Oobleck chimed in from behind.

"Quite. Well, I suppose that's it for the introductions. There is the head nurse as well as Professor Peach but I'm afraid they're not here at the moment. I'm sure you'll meet them eventually" Ozpin stated before he looked at the time "Your first class starts soon, doesn't it? Will you be alright locating your classroom?"

"It's quite alright, Headmaster. I may not look it but I have an excellent memory, if I do say so myself"

 **[/]**

James Moriarty sat behind his table in his assigned classroom, as he waited patiently as the students for his class slowly entered the room. Some of the students sent looks of surprise and confusion at him but the old Professor simply ignored them all in favour of the book in his hands until the time to start the class had arrived. Closing the book, the old man immediately rose to his feet before addressing the classroom full of students in front of him.

"Good morning, students from Atlas, Haven, Shade, and Beacon. I am Professor James Moriarty" he started as he stood in front of his desk "You may address me as 'Professor' or 'Professor Moriarty'. Your choice. As to why all of you are here today, it is so that I can teach you about Logic, Politics, and how to apply both if and when you graduate from Beacon and officially become Huntsmen. Let's start with Logic, shall we? Who here can tell me _why_ we need a good grasp of Logic when performing our duties as Huntsmen?"

Scanning the crowd in front of him, only a few of the students raised their hands. Nodding to himself, he pointed to a blonde girl, "Yes, you. Quickly state your name followed by your answer"

"Oh… Um… Arthuria Pendragon and to answer your question, it's because when we're Huntsmen, we must be able to think rationally before making a decision that affects not just us but the people around us"

"Thank you, Miss Pendragon and yes, she is correct, class. After all, as Huntsmen, we cannot afford to use brute force to help solve every single problem we have" the Professor said with a nod "Now, here's a fun scenario for all of you: Due to the rise in Grimm activity, you and your team have been assigned to assist in the evacuation of a village on the outskirts of the kingdom. However, upon arrival, you find that the village has been decimated with not a single survivor to be found. To further complicate matters, reports arrive that there is an active group of bandits nearby. Your challenge now is to figure out the cause of the village's destructions. Now, who can tell me the correct answer to this particular scenario?"

The Professor stared at the students in front of him as their minds scrambled to find an answer, frowns slowly appearing on some of their faces. A few more seconds of silence passed before a girl with white hair raised her hand into the air.

"Yes, you. As before, quickly state your name followed by your answer" Moriarty stated.

"My name is Weiss Schnee, Professor, and my answer is that we should check the village's supplies of food" the girl answered.

"Oh? And why is that, Miss Schnee?" James asked, crossing his arms as he leaned back on his desk.

"Because, if it were Grimm, then they would have just destroyed the village and moved on but if it were _bandits_ , then more than likely they would have raided the village for supplies, like food and other necessities" Weiss replied.

"Very good, Miss Schnee" the Professor replied as a proud smile formed on Weiss's face "Now, before we move on, who here can tell me what the purpose of being a Huntsman is?"

Almost immediately, the hand of a young girl in a red cape shot up. James nodded at the young girl, a sign for her to answer.

"Uh… My name is Ruby Rose and to answer your question, Professor, the job of all Huntsmen is to help and protect the people around you"

"Interesting answer, Miss Rose. However, what if I were to tell you that the job of Huntsmen is to kill the Grimm, instead? What would be your response to that?"

"T-then I would say you're wrong, Professor" Ruby replied, nervousness in her voice "Because the best Huntsmen in the world could spend their whole life killing Grimm and it still won't do anything to change the world"

"Certainly a fascinating answer but yes, I do agree with young Miss Rose" the Professor replied before he moved towards the chalkboard behind him. Picking up the chalk, the old man began writing "Now, let's move on with the lesson, shall we?"

A few seconds passed before the Professor turned around to face the students once more as he pointed to the chalkboard behind him, " _'The lives of the few must not outweigh the lives of the many_ '. With a show of hands, who here _agrees_ with this statement?"

Observing the class full of students in front of him, a slight frown of disappointment appeared on his face as only a handful of students raised their hands.

"How disappointing. Then, a question to those who _disagreed,_ please tell me why" the Professor said as silence once again came along in the classroom. The silence continued before a redheaded student raised her hand. Nodding to the girl to continue, Moriarty simply leaned back on the chalkboard, his arms crossed.

"My name is Pyrrha Nikos, Professor, and I disagree with that statement because…" the girl took a few moments to gather her thoughts before continuing "Well, because as Huntsmen, we should do everything in our power to save everyone"

Shaking his head in silence, Moriarty looked at the ground before turning his attention to Pyrrha, "A disappointing answer, Miss Nikos. Just because we _should_ , does not mean we _can_. Allow me to present you with another scenario: The village you have been assigned to has been under continuous assault from the Grimm and on this day, the walls have been breached and a massacre is imminent. Your supplies as well as your Aura are running dangerously low. Fortunately for you, the Bullhead you've requested to evacuate the village's citizens has arrived. With the situation as dire as it is, what do you do to ensure the absolute minimum amount of casualties occur?"

The students in front of him immediately started discussing among themselves as Moriarty smirked at the sight before he took a seat behind his desk, "You have five minutes to discuss between with your team. We still have a lot of time left for class, after all"

As five minutes ended, the Professor stood up before clapping a few times to gain everyone's attention, "Now then, your time is up. Have you decided on a strategy?"

Weiss's hands shot up not a moment later, a determined look in her eyes. Nodding for her to continue, Weiss answered, "I believe, Professor, the best strategy would be a defensive one. The hardest hitting one in my team, Mordred, will be the primary defence while the more agile members, Ruby and Blake, will be in charge of diverting most of the Grimm's attention to them so as to avoid any casualties among the villagers. As for myself, my main job will be to provide support to Mordred"

Rubbing his chin, Moriarty took a few seconds before he shook his head, much to Weiss's dismay, "Optimistic as that plan may be, Miss Schnee, it is much too arrogant to think that it could succeed. With the onslaught of Grimm increasing by the second on top of your quickly depleting stamina, it wouldn't surprise me if the Grimm were able to catch up to Miss Rose as well as Miss Blake in a matter of minutes, if not seconds. As for Miss Mordred, the same problem applies. The Grimm may be weak individually but together, they could take out any experienced Huntsmen on their best day, especially so if fatigue were to set in. After all, the human body can only do so much"

The Professor paused for a moment as he looked Weiss in the eye before continuing, "As for you, Miss Schnee, I believe that you would fall sooner than most on your team, seeing as your abilities actively rely on Aura _and_ dust, both of which are running low. Thus, I can only conclude that your answer is wrong. Would anyone else care to try?"

"I would, Professor" came the voice a blue haired student from the back of the class "My name is Cu Chulainn and to answer your question, sir, I believe that as soon as we _know_ the situation can't be saved, we should just cut our losses and leave the village as soon as possible. With our team on board, of course"

"Oh? Interesting answer, Mr Chulainn. Would anyone care to refute that?" Moriarty asked before Ruby immediately stood up to face the boy in question.

"So you're just going to let the rest of the villagers die?!" Ruby argued as she glared daggers at Chulainn "That's… How could you be so cruel?!"

"Hah? Cruel? I'm just being realistic, little girl" the boy countered.

"Even so, you're not even going to try to save everyone?!"

"So, what? Your suggestion is to 'Save everyone or die trying'? That's pretty stupid, kid" Chulainn argued back.

"Alright, children, calm down" the Professor said with a clap. Pausing for a few seconds for the rest of the class to settle down, the Professor continued, "I'm afraid, Miss Rose, that the boy is correct or at the very least, he's closer to the answer than Miss Schnee"

"But Professor-" Ruby made to argue but Moriarty simply lifted his hand, signalling for silence.

"You must understand, Miss Rose, that noble intentions are fine but to actually execute them is another thing entirely. As I've written down, ' _The lives of the few must not outweigh the lives of the many_ ' and what that means is that sometimes, difficult choices must be made. Moving on, lets discuss something that actually happened instead of hypotheticals, shall we?"

"Tell me, with a show of hands, how many of you here have heard about the tragedy of Mountain Glenn?" the Professor asked as a few dozen hands were raised to the air "Then, for those of you who don't know, the abridged version is that it was basically a failed attempt at expansion by the kingdom of Vale and Atlas. Due to the fact that Mountain Glenn did not have the natural barriers Vale did, attacks from the Grimm increased by the day until the citizens were forced to flee through the underground tunnels"

"The city fell? What happened to the refugees?" a student asked, as Moriarty could only stare at the floor in silence. Unbeknownst to them, however, a smirk had form on the old man's face.

"Unfortunately, the tunnels were sealed, never to be used again" the Professor answered "As for the civilians, however, they were sealed along with the tunnels, effectively making it Vale's largest tomb"

The students' uproar came soon after, anger in the voices of some while the others tried in vain to calm the situation down. For Moriarty, however, the chaos was like music to his ears. He did not even attempt to defuse the situation in front of him, instead content to wait for the noise to die down naturally. A few minutes passed before silence once more reigned.

"Are you all ready to continue with the lesson, then?" Moriarty asked as he looked around the class "Good. Does anyone want to tell me _why_ the Kingdom of Vale allowed this to happen? Nobody? It's quite simple, really. By doing so, they were able to save the hundreds of thousands of lives living in the Kingdom"

"They could have-" Ruby spoke up once more, louder than she intended before she calmed down somewhat, "They could have asked help from other Huntsmen for reinforcement"

"Most likely, they could have done that but then again, how long would they have had to wait for help to arrive? During that time, do you not think that the Grimm will have breached the walls of Vale and massacred everyone in the city?"

"T-then… They just let everyone… die?" the question this time came from a student from Shade, if the lack of uniform was anything to go by.

"Unfortunately, yes. The Kingdom of Vale made a decision on that day, a decision that saved countless lives while damning countless others" the Professor stated just as the bell rang, signifying the class's end.

 **[A few months ago, Haven Academy]**

" _What is the meaning of this Lionheart?!" Cinder asked, fuming as she entered the Headmaster's office, "I don't like being summoned like-"_

 _The presence of a third party leaning on the desk in the Headmaster's office brought the girl to a sudden halt, "Good afternoon, Miss Fall"_

" _Professor Moriarty. Good afternoon" Cinder said after taking a quick moment to compose herself "This is quite unexpected"_

" _I'm sure it was, Miss Fall" the old man said, a smirk on his face as she stared at Cinder._

" _May I know what this meeting is about, Professor?" Cinder asked, her hands behind her back._

" _Come now, Miss Fall, there is no need for forced politeness, especially given our current circumstances" Moriarty stated as his gaze met the girl's. The Headmaster, however, remained quiet throughout the whole exchange._

" _Whatever do you mean, Professor?" Cinder asked once more as her hands formed started to glow._

" _Why, I'm referring to the fact that we here are all comrades in search of Beacon's relic, of course" the Professor stated._

" _Relic, sir? I'm not quite sure I follow…"_

" _You didn't mention she was a persistent fellow, Lionheart" Moriarty said "Come now, Miss Fall. I tire of this game. I know that you're working for a woman named Salem and that a few months from now, you and your little crew are planning to infiltrate-"_

 _The old man didn't get to finish his sentence as Cinder immediately materialized a sword in her hand before swinging it at the old man's head. The girl was shocked to find that her attack had been blocked by the Professor's cane._

 _"Tsk, tsk Miss Fall. Don't you know that an unjustified attack on a member of the faculty is punishable with detention?" the Professor asked, a mocking smirk on his face._

" _I would say I'm incredibly justified, Professor" Cinder countered._

" _I'm sure cooler heads could prevail today, don't you think so?" the Professor offered._

" _Oh? You would need to have something that I would want and what I want isn't something so easily obtained, Professor"_

" _You wouldn't be worth working with if that wasn't the case, Miss Fall" the old man said "Fret not, I have exactly what you need"_

" _Do tell, Professor" Cinder said, her grip on her sword not loosening one bit._

" _The location of a woman named Amber, the previous Fall Maiden" at that answer, Cinder's eyes widened before a small smile appeared._

" _It appears, Professor, that we can indeed come to an agreement" the girl replied as she lowered her weapon as Moriarty did the same._

" _Excellent. Shall we discuss terms, then?" Moriarty asked as Cinder locked the door behind them._

 **[Present]**

Opening the door to his office, James Moriarty was not surprised in the least to find that it was currently occupied by Haven's third-year representatives.

"Good afternoon, Miss Fall" the Professor said as he approached his desk before "How was your lunch? I see you've brought along the side characters with you"

"It was splendid, Professor, thank you for asking" Cinder replied as she raised her hand, demanding silence from her two subordinates.

"Excellent. Now then, shall we begin?" James asked, as she sat down behind his desk.

 **[Chapter END]**

 **A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 18. Really hope you guys liked it. I sure enjoyed writing it. For this chapter, I wanted to try something new and that is have it written from the perspective of one character. That is, from Moriarty's view. Except for the flashback, I think I did okay. What do you guys and gals think?**

 **Also, I made a small change to Moriarty's title in Chapter 14. He's now in charge of 'Logic Application & Politics' instead of 'Advanced Dust Manipulation & Politics'.**

 **As for Asclepius, I don't currently have any plans to make him relevant to the story. He was just a name I wanted to add to the story. For fun. Also, a hundred points to those who can figure out who the Head Nurse is.**

 **As always, fave, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.**

 **NoXIV Signing Off**


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